The First Son
by NedeserThul
Summary: Barsen'thor and Jedi Master Nedeser Thul and Nadia Grell are launched into a massive battle on the contested planet of Corellia. During the fighting they are separated and Des works desperately to find his beloved.
1. Chapter 1: The Javelin

Nedeser Thul stood on the bridge of a Sarkhai Royal-Class Battle Ship _Majestic Nebula_ \- one of fourteen in the fleet. Through the viewport were not one but two Imperial fleets - one that was already over the planet, standing ready to engage a Republic fleet. The second was a single dreadnaught - and thirty heavy troop carriers that shuttled tens of thousands of Imperial and Sith Reinforcements. Admiral Cerria's white and black painted face was grim - his mouth a single hard line. "We cannot allow that fleet to couple with the other or else we'll never be able stop them from reinforcing the Imperial and Sith troopers on the ground."

He turned to Nedeser Thul; "Barsen'thor, what should we do?"

Without hesitation, Des said, "Send our Battle Ships to engage the troop carriers. I have landing crews who will board and attempt to take or sabotage that dreadnaught."

"Understood, Master Jedi;" and the Admiral touched his comms unit's activator, sending to all Battle Ships, "All ships, pick your targets and engage those troop carriers. Launch fighters to defend our ships. I want Squadrons Aurek through Esk to escort all boarding ships."

Master Thul turned and hurried from the bridge, heading towards the hangers. His crew was waiting for him there - the Trandoshan hunter Qyzen Fess, the brilliant doctor Tharan Cedrax, the Resistance scout and soldier Zenith, the highly skilled and steadfast soldier Lieutenant Felix Iresso and the Senator and Jedi Padawan Nadia Grell. He looked at each of them and said, "Don't make necessary risks and don't be heroes - as hard as it is for you all."

They all chuckled dryly. Des grew very serious and said, "Get to your ships and may the force be with us all."

He turned towards the _Defender_ , "Get her ready, Felix and make sure the Voss Commandos are ready."

Suddenly, a small had grabbed his arm. He turned to look into the eyes of his Padawan. Without a word, she tugged his arm and pulled him under the cover of one of the boarding. Before she could say a word, Des pleaded, "Please be careful, Nadia."

She smiled and said, "I will, Master and you better to."

Grabbing the front of his robe, Nadia yanked him into a burning kiss. When she pulled away, Des had that ridiculous dazed grin on his face and Nadia smirked. "I have another one for you when we get done."

Des chuckled but then they boath grew serious again. "May the force be with you, Nadia."

"And you with, Master."

* * *

Five drops ships launched from the _Majestic Nebula_ and immediately, five Black and White streaked Liberator-Class Starfighter formations formed with them. "Whoa;" murmured Felix, "The Sarkhai tricked those things out to no end. I'd love to have a few of those."

Des chuckled from the co-pilot seat. "We do, Felix. They're our escort."

The ships blazed through swarms of enemy fighters and each dropship went to a hanger or docking port. The _Defender_ landed in the closest hanger to the bridge and the Voss Commando's poured out, leveling several squads of Imperial marines as they did. Felix and Des left the cockpit, bolting to the ramp and joining their commandos. "Alright, to the bridge;" said Des. "Let me lead the way. If we run into any Sith, I'll take them myself."

As if to prove his point, a pair of very young Sith Warriors charged in, lightsabers ignited and two dozen Imperial Marines behind them. The Commandos and Felix took cover behind crates and loaders while Des, in a burst of force powered speed, engaged the two Sith Warriors. They were young and eager, probably fresh from the Korriban Academy. Sith Warriors were trained for battle and combat and these two were good. But Des was a Jedi Master who had fought over a dozen Dark Jedi and Sith Lords and these Sith Warriors were no Sith Lords. The two didn't fight together often and they constantly got into each other's way until Des cut one of them down with his silver, double bladed lightsaber. It was an easy matter to overwhelm the other before blasting away the few remaining Imperial Marines. Turning to his commandos and happy to see that none were injured. "Right, let's get to the bridge."

* * *

Nadia sliced down another Imperial Marine before stretching out with the force and causing and Imperial war droid to explode into shattered components. As soon as their dropship docked, the fighting started. "Set up the jammer;" called the commando sergeant to two of his men as he blasted a pair of war droids. Nadia was twisting and spinning her way into a crowd of enemy marines, cutting them down with her emerald double-bladed lightsaber. "Area secured -for the moment;" announced a commando. They all turned to her. "Jedi?"

Nadia was slightly taken aback. They were looking for her to lead. Taking a deep breath, Nadia spoke. "Leave two to guard the jammer and the shuttle. The rest of you, with me. We have a ways to go before we get to that comms array. Stay alert. If we run into any Sith..."

A blast door opened down the corridor and a Sith came in wielding a double bladed lightsaber. Nadia took a deep breath and set her face and her stance. This Sith couldn't be older than she. With a roar, he charged and leaped into the air and Nadia intercepted him with a blast of the force and then dashed after him. He was off balance and took the defensive as he tried to regain it. To ensure that that didn't happen, Nadia hit a switch on her lightsaber, retracting one of her blades and causing the hilt to curve as he ducked and spun away from a strike and countered with a series of blows, driving him further back, following up with another telekinetic blast. It smashed the Sith against the blast door and dropping him to his knees. Nadia thought that ended the fight until the Sith disappeared. Nadia felt her heart stop. "Commandos, I want a barrage against this door;" she said in panic, ducking against the wall, her blade up. A rapid fire barrage blazed down the corridor. It didn't kill the Sith but it shattered his concentration as he focused on deflecting the blaster bolts. He appeared and Nadia stretched out and attacked the lightsaber with her gift of exploding things. One of the crystals shattered and half the the lightsaber disintegrated. Two blaster bolts slammed into his leg and his shoulder. The Sith's ability to suppress pain must have been considerable since he didn't even seem to flinch. Nadia leaped back into attack, calling for the commandos to cease fire and she quickly overwhelmed the Sith. Whoever he was, this Sith's single blade combat was very weak and she cut him down. "Forward. Let's go."

It wasn't as far away as they had thought and there were only a dozen techs, crew members and officers. One of them said, "There here, the Sith didn't stop them."

They all went for their weapons and, exerting herself in the force, Nadia managed to rip the weapons from their hands. "Surrender and do it now;" she commanded, feeling proud that she was able to accomplish that. They all glared at her. "Round them up and lock them in a maintenance closet."

She ran to the comms relay control and looked at it. She had no idea what she was doing. "Okay;" she murmured to herself, "I don't wanna play the 'what does this button do' game."

"Pardon me, Jedi;" said one of the commandos. He gently ushered her aside and began tapping on keys and switches. "Where'd you learn that?" asked Nadia. "As part of the diplomatic relations, the Voss and Imperials taught each other things. For example, some of their Sith worked with our mystics and we worked with their comms and sensor experts. At the time, I'm sure they thought they got the better end of the deal. Now, however, I think I can prove them wrong. We'll move on to the tactical stations soon."

Nadia grinned, "Teach me."

* * *

Des and his team stepped onto the bridge. There waited a Sith Lord and two more of his acolytes as well as a large number of marines. They opened fire and Des lifted his hand, throwing up an energy barrier, displaying enough power to stop them. The commandos took covered and returned fire, jumping into crew pits and swatting down crew members who tried to resist. As soon as his men were under cover, Des disappeared, bolting towards the marine defenders, cleaving them down with ease and avoiding the fire of his own soldiers. The Sith Lord screamed and sent a telekinetic blast in all directions. Des flew back and reverse somersaulted, landing on his feet and dropping his cloaking ability and charging the Sith Lord. The acolytes didn't even stand a chance and he cut them down before engaging the Sith Lord. While he fought the Sith Lord, quickly showing that he was the more powerful and more skilled, Felix led the commandos throughout the bridge, killing and subduing any Imperial they came across. Felix ran up to the main console and grinned, "It's been awhile since I used one of these."

Suddenly, the Sith Lord leaped at him Felix only avoided death by throwing himself to the ground away from the console. Des took the opportunity to kill his opponent and helped Felix to his feet. "Take it, Lieutenant;" he said. Felix took his spot and began tapping at the controls. As he worked reports came in from the other strike teams. Holiday, Doctor Cedrax's sentient holographic assistant was working her way through the systems of the ship. Zenith was wrecking the security system on his end. Qyzen managed to take the armory and weapons control with his unit, reporting that resistance was suddenly become very light. Suddenly, an Imperial droid waddled up and in an all too cheerful voice, said, "Ah, greetings Master Jedi. All parameters' are met and my work can finally be demonstrated."

Suddenly the force flared with danger and Des grimaced, murmuring to Felix, "I have a bad feeling about this."

As if not hearing him, the droid continued, "Obeying my standard orders, I have seeded this vessel with detonite charges. These charges are strong enough to destroy the _Javelin_ , its occupants and nearby vessels. I'm sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. Immediately, the droid began tapping on a small control pad on his arm. Des grabbed his comlink and hissed over all frequencies. "Boarding parties, back to your ships. All Battle Ships, get away from the Javelin - FAR away. It's laced with detonite and set to blow!"

"Oh don't worry about that, Master Jedi. You'll be dead soon enough;" said the droid in his obnoxiously cheerful voice. Felix groaned, "We'll need to disarm at least some of them and fast. I'll call all units and tell them to find the nearest bombs and disarm them, that way, they'll at least have time to get back to their ships."

"Do it;" said Des as he bolted towards the nearest bomb, using a security monitor on the bridge to find two of them. A pair of commandos ran with him. Resistance was light as they found the bomb. As the two Voss worked painstakingly, reports came in from the other strike team leaders reporting the bombs in the immediate area being disarmed and the boarders returning to their ships, disarming bombs that they came across as they went. They met the commandos on the way back to the Defender. Suddenly, Des's comms unit went off. It was Nadia. "Master? Are you there? A bomb just exploded near the tactical station. "One moment, Nadia: Hollow Voice, is the fleet getting away from the _Javelin_?"

The reply came quickly. "The fleet is safe but the ship you are on is wounded and dying."

Des nodded and switched back to Nadia. "Ugh! The whole ship is beginning to shake! We're heading back to the dropship now! But wait, I can't yet! Get to the ships, Master. I'll be behind you in a minute."

Des's chiseled face blanched. "What?"

"The crew was trying to destroy these tactical stations and I think they were trying to hide something. I'm going to download everything that I can."

A tall, lean Voss was with her, working at the console while she tapped at a datapad. Des sounded sterner than he wanted to, saying, "There is a time and a place for gaining knowledge, Nadia!"

Nadia nodded, "I know, I know but what if there are battle plans on here?"

Des wanted to roar at her to flee but she said, "This is... there's too much, it's taking too long!"

"Nadia!" he said, his anxiety hitting her through the force. "But wait, we passed a row of escape pods on the way in here. I can pilot one out or launch towards Corellia's surface!"

"I'm not going to leave you behind Nadia!" said Des earnestly. "I couldn't!"

She smiled at her comms unit. "You have to, Des. But we'll be together again soon. I can feel it."

Des chewed one of his lips anxiously and another explosion rocked the ship. "Please;" she begged, "the hanger won't be safe for long. Go on - I'll see you on Corellia."

She jabbed the holo-communicator and was gone. "DAMMIT!" hissed Des. "Let's go. We have to get out of here!"

As he ran, he prayed to the force and to every deity of every legend or religion that he had ever heard of that she would make it off the ship safely - that he would see her again soon and that she would be safe and sound.

* * *

 **Welcome back, my readers! Des and Nadia have returned again! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and there will be more to come. Please read, review and request.**

 **Updated 12.06.2017**


	2. Chapter 2: Rescue and Revolation

**Aboard the Defender-Class Light Freighter** _ **Defender**_

Des found it difficult to focus on the task at hand. He had sensed Nadia had launched from the _Javelin_ before it had exploded, taking a dozen of the Imperial troop carriers with it. Back aboard his freighter, the leadership element of the Rift Alliance was discussing the recent victory. Hallow Voice, the leader of the Esh-Ka army was saying, "We have weathered this Empire's storm. Without tethers of the words, they wandered lost. Many were devoured by the _Javelin's_ flames. We are bright today."

The crew of the freighter were solon and the normally cool headed Tharan Cedrax crossed his arms and growled, "Is he utterly oblivious to the loss of our dear Nadia?"

Des flinched but said in a calm, confident voice, "We're going after her as soon as we can."

Shuuru, the Selkath senator from Manaan, lifted a webbed hand and said, "An escape pod did leave the Javelin before it blew but we lost it after it entered Corellia's atmosphere."

Senator Alauni, a greened skinned female Twi'lek senator from Saleucami, also put in, "We think the pod was caught up in an automated landing system from the Coronet City Ship Yards. It probably landed there somewhere."

There was a long silence and then Gaden-Ko, a the young Voss Mystic, said with finality, "To Corellia; to search and to war."

* * *

Nadia woke and groaned. It was dark, the only things visible being the few dim interior lights of the pod. Her head thumped dolly and she unbuckled her restraints and headed towards the exit hatch. Pulling a glow rod, she broke it and looked for the hatch's ejection system. It was a series of light charges only meant to decompress the hatch and allow them to open it. Finding it, she slapped the switch. Nothing happened. Nadia slapped it again and again, nothing. Sighing, she was about to reach out with the force when her danger sense flared. Frowning, she stretched out and sensed a large number of individuals outside. Reaching for her lightsaber, Nadia was shocked to realize that it had been damaged in the crash. While it was repairable, she didn't have the required tools on her. Sighing and sitting back in her seat, Nadia pulled a survival pack from beneath her seat and opened it, pulling a ration bar and a hydration bladder from inside. As she opened it and ration bar and took a bite, she settled in to wait. She had tolled Des that she would see him again and she truly believed that she would.

* * *

As the _Defender_ descended to the planet of Corellia, Tai Cordan, President of the Planet Balmorra, was delivering a report. "Master Syo's briefings of the situation are grim. Treachery, Imperial invasion, a resistance under fire - I saw it all back home."

Tharan grunted and muttered, "Not to mention that we have Nadia to find."

Des appreciated his friend's concern for his padawan but still felt compelled to say, "Of course but first we need to take stock of the situation. We can't just bumble into trouble."

Tai nodded. "We know that the automated landing system put the pod down in the shipyards somewhere. It's a start but we still have a war to fight. I also have some good news. Master Syo completed work on the Guardian Holds before the invasion began again in earnest."

Des frowned. He wasn't familiar with the Guardian Holds though he had heard the term tossed around. "What are these Guardian Holds?"

Tai chuckled and said, "Of course. Master Syo just passed on this briefing. The Guardian Holds are a series of buildings across Coronet City, Corellia's capital. Factories, bunkers, munitions stores - everything you'd need to conquer a city. Master Syo has fortified each of those buildings with special defenses and code named them the Guardian Holds. That basically means that we have several impenetrable fortresses to retake Coronet even if it falls to the Empire."

Des gave a tight smile and said, "With those Guardian Holds and our assets protected, we can concentrate on the offense."

Tai nodded. "That's the idea. Defending the Guardian Holds leaves the Republic a little short handed and that is where our army comes in."

Diab Duin, the Sullustan senator from the volcanic planet of Sullust, lifted a hand and said, "Landing an army takes time. You should search for little Nadia before the Empire finds her."

Des nodded, scratching his stubbly chin. "The Coronet Shipyards are enormous. I won't be able to find her pod without help."

Shuuru quickly stepped up to the holo-projector and said in his gravely tongue, "We did pick up a few emergency broadcasts from resistance fighters. There was one that... here."

A tall man wearing a very typical Corellian outfit - leather boots, pants and jacket over a white shirt, emerged from the projector and spoke, "...repeat, this is Captain Drizan, calling any defenders near the Coronet Shipyards. The Imperial's have overrun zone twelve. Calling for emergency assistance."

Immediately, Des was ready to go. Calling up to Felix in the cockpit, Des said, "Put us down in the nearest landing zone to the shipyards and gather the crew here."

Turning back to the senators, Des said, "We will defend the shipyards while we search. Tell Captain Drizan that we are on our way."

"Of course, Jedi."

Gaden-Ko looked grim and said, "Voss commandos, Tai's droids and the Esh-Ka - we land all."

Tai looked equally grim. "And now we see if they're enough to save the Republic."

Nedeser Thul nodded as his crew gathered around them. "Yes we will. May the force be with us."

Turning to his crew, he said, "Tharan, you and Qyzen are coming with me. Felix, you'll be going with the Voss Commandos. Zenith, you're working with the Esh-Ka. There are several objectives in the shipyards that we need to worry about - the material stockpiles, the administration buildings and the assembly areas. Deploy and gather the forces while I get into contact with Captain Drizan. Be ready to engage."

Their expressions were grim as they stepped down the ramp. All around them, dropships from the Rift Alliance's fleet were deploying Voss Commando's, Bamorran war droids and Esh-Ka warriors. With a satisfied nod, Des hurried into the command center with Tharan and Qyzen right behind him. "We're here to speak to Captain Drizan. I am Jedi Master Nedeser Thul representing the Rift Alliance and leading its military forces."

They were quickly shone to the control room of the center. Captain Drizan was there, working a command council and issuing orders as he did. Without preamble, Des strode up and said, "Captain Drizan, I believe my allies sent you a message. I need your assistance in finding an escape pod."

Drizan seemed surprised. "Huh? I thought that was a hoax. Quil! Look, we really did get a Jedi Master."

From behind another set of consoles, a tall, furry figure strode. It looked almost like a rodent but it stood on it's long rear legs at almost two meters tall and had thumbs on its hands and a blaster rifle slung on its back. In a rather odd tongue, the creature chattered, causing Tharan to activate a language translator on his wrist unit. "I thought all Jedi were defending those Guardian Holds. It's good to meet you."

Drizan motioned to her. "This is Quil. She and the other Selonians are helping us fight the Imperials. Your pod is right in the middle of the hot zone."

Des and Tharan met worried glances before Des said, "The shipyard's guidance system brought the pod down. Isn't there some record?"

Drizan looked sympathetic. "No. the guidance system was damaged. The pod could be anywhere and recon is impossible. There are Imperial droids on patrol. They follow us back to our bases and go on a killing spree. We're stuck."

"Oh really..." growled Des, his face hard and his burly arms crossed over his equally burly chest. Drizan nodded and said, "Look, I know your pod's important but I can't send anyone after it. Not if those droids can track them."

"They can't track anything with a lightsaber in their circuitry;" growled Des again. Quil lifted a paw and chattered, "You couldn't get them all. Wouldn't have to. Break a few of them, switch up their patrol routes and sweep right through."

Des scratched his chin and said, "Your scouts might still be vulnerable."

The Selonian bared her fangs in a feral looking grin. "War is risk. We fight for Corellia."

Drizan nodded and said, "Okay, you clear the droids and we'll find the pod, Jedi. We should have something by the time you get back."

Des nodded and swept from the room. Pulling his cloak from his shoulders, he set it on an empty chair. Beneath he wore a simply gray Jedi tunic, stretched to the limits by his muscles. He removed leather gloves from his hands and rolled up his sleeves. Tharan looked at Qyzen and murmured, "Oh boy. This is going to be intense. Better get ready, my large reptilian friend."

Qyzen laughed, uttering odd _yurk yurk yurk_ noises as he pulled his massive vibrosword from his back and activating it. "Let's go;" said Des calmly and they strode out into the city. "We'll need to take a tram car to a station closer to the yards. From there, we'll be entering a warzone. Get ready, gentlemen."

* * *

Nadia was extremely nervous. She heard some voices outside with Imperial accents outside the hatch of her pod. Reaching out with the force, she had felt the cold, almost sickly feeling of followers of the dark side. There were Sith outside and her lightsaber was broken. Nadia would be captured or killed outright if they got through. Surely they knew someone was inside but didn't seem to be making any attempts to get inside. After contemplating what she should do, Nadia decided to put herself into a healing trance for two hours. Her head still hurt and the air was going to be getting thin soon. Taking a deep breath, Nadia sank into the force, her last thought being of her beloved master, begging him to come and save her.

* * *

Des and his companions descended the stairs and gazed at the warzone. The Imperials were prodding the tram station, keeping the defending Republic soldiers and CorSec officers on their toes and in a constant state of combat. Igniting his silver bladed lightsaber, Des blazed out towards the attacking forces in a blur of force powered speed. He sliced them down and drove them back with the force. After only moments, the Imperials were driven back for the moment, giving the defending forces a breather. Tharan and Qyzen ran up and the former said, "We understand your anxiety, Master Jedi but if you could wait for us, we'd appreciate it."

Des blushed and said rather sheepishly, "Sorry."

They began to wander almost at random into the shipyards. All around them, they heard blaster fire, explosions and even crumbling buildings. Every now and again, they glimpsed members of Rift Alliance's military forces hurrying from building to building. Every now and again, they would come on patrolling droids. They were lethal models meant for seeking and destroying Republic bases. Instead, Nedeser and his companions sought out and destroyed them. The droids didn't engage them unless engaged which meant that the Jedi Master would cleave through two or three of them before the others would open fire. Even so, the high rate of fire proved dangerous, even for him. Several times, Des would feel the burn of a blaster bolt grazing him. Using pain suppression techniques, Des mostly ignored them until after the engagement and allowed a scolding Tharan Cedrax slap kolto patches on the burns. And then on to the next one. As the sun began to go down, Des sighed tiredly and said, "We should head back now. I'm sure the Resistance have gotten some operatives through by now."

They headed back to the tram station, eliminating another attack as they came upon it. The commander of the station thanked them profusely and saluted them.

* * *

Nadia had woken up and gone back into a trance several times now. When she was awake, she meditated. Every now and again, she felt her master as if she was experiencing what he was experiencing. She felt his fatigue, his exertions and even the pain of his injuries. After a particularly vicious burn, she began to tear up, feeling helpless in her situation and wanting to comfort him. She could sense his determination and his anxiety and sent all her comforting to him. But whatever bond that had suddenly been developed between them was still weak. Nadia made a mental note to ask about it and try to strengthen it. Suddenly, there was banging from outside and a loud voice called, "HEY! You in there! We're all outside waiting for you and we know you're a Jedi. Either stay in there and suffocate or come out here and throw yourself at our mercy."

Nadia sighed and lay back and slipped into another Jedi healing trance. She whispered, "Find me, Master. Please find me. I love you."

* * *

Des felt a familiar whisper in his mind as he stepped off the tram. _Find me, Master. Please find me. I love you._

A tear rolled down his cheek and he whispered, "I love you too, Nadia and I will find you."

He brushed away the tear and strode straight into the command center. Captain Drizan was waiting, a smile on his scarred face and his arms crossed over his chest. "Nicely done, Jedi. The droid patrol routes have enough gaps for us to sneak through but there small enough that the Empire might not realize there are holes."

Quil strode in and said, "Also, we found escape pod. Sighted in zone twelve. That's very bad - a lot of Imperials."

Des clenched his fist. "If they opened that pod, Nadia might be there prisoner."

"Your friend will fight hard, I'm sure."

Des gave a tight smile. Oh she'd fight hard alright. His padwan would level anything short of a small army or a powerful Sith Lord.

Drizan smiled nodded. "Good luck in finding your friend. Uh... I know your mission is urgent but... can you do us a favor?"

Des nodded slowly. "What would you ask of me, Captain?"

"Well we managed to convert two comms towers into anti-air gun emplacements. It was all good - until the Imperials took them over. But there's an override to hardwire them only to Imperial targets. Just enter them at both towers and we get our guns back."

Des nodded slowly again. "My priority is reaching that pod but if I have the opportunity. I'll do what I can."

Drizan nodded quickly. "Sure, absolutely. Just... any help would make a huge difference."

On the way out, Quil met them. "Jedi. You stopped the droids; honor demands we repay. If you need help to free your friend from the pod, call. We Selonians will come."

Des was very grateful but still said, "I don't want your people in harms way unnecessarily."

Quil gave another feral grin. "All acceptable risks if Imperials are thinned."

From the console, Drizan called, "Hey be careful in Zone Twelve. We need you in one piece, Master Jedi. Hey, I never got your name?"

Des nodded. "My name is Nedeser Thul, Barsen'thor of the Jedi Order. I'll return when we're finished."

Drizan nodded and turned back to his console. Des went to the tram station and asked a droid, "I need a car to take me to Zone Twelve."

"Oh my!" exclaimed the droid. "Master Jedi, that is an extremely dangerous area. I must strongly recommend that you refrain from going there."

Des growled, "A car, please."

The droid would have sighed if it could and a tram car came along. "Be safe out there."

* * *

Nadia woke once again. The air was getting quite thin and she was going to have to make a choice very soon - stay in and die or go out and either be captured or die fighting. Neither were very appealing but she knew what her master would want her to do. He would have her leave the pod and go out to fight or at least try to stall for time. But Nadia was scared. She was completely alone. No master, no friends, not even force from the Republic or the Rift Alliance - just her and even with the force as her ally, Nadia had never felt so alone. Reaching out with the force, she could barely feel her master as if he was just on the edge of reach. She tried to caress his mind and, to her surprise and pleasure and relief, she felt a caress returned with the faint words _I'm coming, Nadia._

She smiled but couldn't help but ask herself if he would be too late. She was tempted to drop back into another healing trance but instead decided to wait it out. If her master was near, she wanted to be awake when he found her. She wanted to be able to launch herself at him and give him the most boiling, blistering, passionate kiss she could. Nadia smiled as she entertained herself with the mental picture of her hanging from around her master's shoulders as she kissed him senseless in the middle of the battlefield. The time went by and how quickly it went, she didn't know because, as with her lightsaber, her chrono was damaged in the crash. Reaching out again, Nadia brushed Nedeser's mind, trying to ascertain how close he was. The bond was still weak and she couldn't determine his proximity. With a disappointed sigh, Nadia settled back and went over what she had found on the Javelin for the fourth time. It was all encrypted and she wasn't skilled but it kept her mind busy to see the symbols and lines of data, even if she couldn't understand it.

* * *

Nedeser was fighting as soon as he stepped out of the tram car, blasting back a dozen Imperial soldiers and several Sith warriors with the force before blazing towards more opponents. They opened up on him but hitting him was like trying to hit a spirit. Des was fast. What's more, he could either absorb, deflect or simply avoid. Leaping high, Des landed in the midst of his enemies and slammed the ground, using the force to cause a kinetic blast that fractured the ground, driving them to the ground and then spinning, sweeping his double bladed lightsaber in a wide arch, cleaving them as they tried to rise to their feet. Two Sith Warriors tried to engage him but one was literally crushed by the force while another was, to everyone's shock, blasted with silver force lightning before being impaled on a silver blade. Tharan and Qyzen looked shocked at him and Des smiled. "I'm not slipping, gentlemen. It's not anger or aggression but rather determination and desperation - otherwise that Sith Warrior would have been a burning husk."

They looked skeptical but nodded, trusting there friend before hurrying into Zone Twelve. It was thick with Imperial soldiers and Sith. Instead of going into the open streets, they went through alleys, tunnels and even through buildings, only engaging those who posed direct threats. "How is it that we aren't bringing an army down on our heads?" asked Tharan. Des explained as they slipped through yet another alley, "Because I'm using the force to keep the sound from getting too far. Sounds are only signals at certain frequencies that are picked up by a being's ears. If you can disrupt or jam those frequencies, you can effectively eliminate sound."

Tharan's eyes widened. "I see. Can you do that with comms frequencies?"

Des chuckled as they rounded a corner and faced a pair of heavy assault droids. "No but I have heard that some Jedi are gifted in that way."

Reaching out, he literally crumpled one of the droids into a metal ball and slammed it hard into the other, demolishing it with almost negligent ease. They approached the coordinates quickly and came to a large, wide open area beneath a pair of half finished star cruisers. There it was - the escape pod. It was at least two hundred meters off and their were over a dozen of Imperials in the area and quite a few Sith as well. Des looked at his friends and said, "This is going to be rough, my friends. I think you should stay here."

Tharan just snorted, "Not a chance, Jedi."

Qyzen was just _yurk yurk yurking_ as he drew his vibrosword. Shrugging, he led them out and into a maelstrom of blaster fire and death. Tharan was quick with his blaster, eliminating one soldier after another. Des engaged two Sith while Qyzen boldly engaged another. They were all skilled and powerful but none of them were near the mastery as Nedeser Thul. One went down within the first moment, the other slipped in his assault and was beheaded. The Sith Warrior engaged with Qyzen was beating the big Trandoshan back before Des yanked his foot with the force, allowing Qyzen to impale the young Sith on his blade with a Trandoshan war cry.

Before any more Imperials could run up, they went to the pod and examined it. Reaching out with the force, Des ripped the hatch away and stepped forward to look inside.

* * *

Nadia could hear the fighting outside and felt relief and anxiety flowing through her in mixed doses. She crawled up to the hatch and listened intently. When the fighting stopped, Nadia held her breath before her danger sense flared and she dropped back into the pod. The hatch was wrenched free and she hesitated from crawling out. Was it Des or had some Sith Lord lost patience with her? "Is she in there? Is she okay?"

It was Tharan Cedrax and Nadia began to scramble towards the hatch. Out she came and, rather than throwing herself at her master, she collapsed to her knees. Des was there in an instant, lifting her up in his arms, holding her closely to him, his breath ragged and his voice hoarse. "Everything's alright, Nadia. Breathe easy."

Nadia wrapped her arms around him and smiled contentedly. "I knew I'd see you again. I knew we'd both be alright."

She gave him a light, chased his on his cheek. He set her down and gazed into her eyes as Tharan said, "Dearest Nadia, we were quite heartbroken without you."

Nadia favored him with a smile. "It was worth it. I got all the data I could from the _Javelin's_ computer;" she displayed the datapad. "Mission reports, plans, details - it's all here."

Des's deep blue eyes were earnest and he murmured tenderly, "If I had lost you, none of it would have mattered."

Nadia pressed herself into his embrace again. "It's okay. We're together again. We can talk later."

Turning to Tharan, she offered the datapad. "Before we pass them on, I need Holiday to fix one of these files. It's badly corrupted but some of the audio still works."

The sentient hologram flashed into existence and said, "But honey, we're out in the open and I'd need a holo transmitter."

Nadia chewed a well-formed lip before saying, "Is there somewhere safe we can fix this? I... I think it has something to do with the First Son."

"A friend of ours in the Corellian Resistance is nearby;" said Des, turning in the direction of the tram. Suddenly, there was a soft thud behind him and he turned to see Nadia on her knees, gasping. The exhaustion had hit her and she was very, VERY tired. "I'm sorry. I don't know how far I can walk."

Des lifted her back up into his arms, carrying her bridle style to a large chunk of debris and setting her down on it. "Fortunately, we made some friends while you were away."

While Tharan gave Nadia a once over, Des called the Selonians. It was only a quarter hour before a pair of them hustled to them. A big, male spoke in their strange tongue. "You called, we come to repay debts as Quil ordered. This is your friend, then? She seems very small."

Des chuckled and Nadia huffed ever so slightly. The other Selonian, a slightly smaller male grinned, his fangs showing. "Ha. Easier to smuggle through tunnels to Drizan's shelter."

Des helped Nadia to her feet. "Two Jedi might be better than one if you run into trouble."

The two aliens shook their heads. "Too many takes too long. Risk's Empire's attention. We'll get friend back very quick."

Nadia was beginning to look excited. "I get to see the Selonian tunnels? This might even be fun. I'll meet you back at this shelter."

She gave Des another quick kiss before Doctor Cedrax handed her a wrist device. "This will translate the Selonians' words and yours too if they need it so that you can communicate."

Nadia was placed between the two Selonian's and hobbled off. Des watched her go, chewing his lower lip with concern. Tharan patted his large shoulder and said, "There, there, Jedi. You'll be kissing her senseless soon enough. Come on. Let's go and take care of Captain Drizan's anti-air guns."

Des nodded with a sigh and a mild glare at his friend who just chuckled.

Taking the anti-air guns was a quick thing. The guards were usually a handful of soldiers and a single young Sith Warrior or Lord which were easily overwhelmed and the guns were set to target Imperial air forces. Immediately, the guns began to blast away at the Imperial bombers and fighters. When they had finished securing the second gun, Des wiped his hands and said, "Right, back to the shelter."

* * *

Nadia was relaxing in the shelter, munching on a very simple but hot and cooked meal and sipping strong military style caff. The Selonian tunnels were dark and seemed to go on forever. An entire colony was housed down their and they were all very friendly. At one point, a very small, fluffy looking Selonian walked up and looked at her. "Hi there;" said Nadia with a smile. The Selonian child looked up at her and asked very quietly, "Can I touch your skin and your hair?"

One of the other Selonian's who was guiding her said, "That's not polite."

Nadia smiled and said, "It's okay. Besides, I'd love to touch your fur, if that's okay, little one."

Nadia rolled up her sleeve and the child touched it, it's large dark eyes adorably wrapped by the feeling of her soft, smooth skin. Then, she, for it was a very young female, reached up and touched Nadia's silky white hair and her cheek. "You feel nice."

Nadia had chuckled and said, "Why thank you;" as she had gently stroked the child's small head between her ears. "You're a beautiful young being;" said Nadia as she stood shakily to her feet. The little Selonian smiled and scurried back to two others, pointing at Nadia and chattering. One of her guides chuckled, an odd sort of guttural chitter, and said, "It's not common for humans to be down here. Was kind of you to speak with her and let her touch you."

Now, back in the shelter, Nadia sighed and leaned back in the chair. She wanted to exercise a little and then get some sleep - real sleep and not another healing trance but she wouldn't until Des was back again. As if on her call, Nedeser, Tharan and Qyzen strode through the door. Nadia smiled and straightened. Des shot her a smile before addressing Captain Drizan. "Ah, you're back. The Selonians brought your friend in a little while ago."

Nadia stood and walked stiffly over. "Captain Drizan gave me some kolto and a hot drink. I feel much better but no more escape pods for me."

Quil came in and said, "Padawan Grell says you must fix corrupted file. Something important?"

Des nodded solemnly. "This file could help us catch the mastermind behind the war."

Drizan's eyes widened. "Oh. Wow. If you need our holo transmitter to check it, go right ahead."

Quil nodded and said, "We'll give privacy to work. Best luck, Jedi."

As soon as they left, before Des had the opportunity to ask Holiday to work on the file, Nadia launched herself at him, giving him the kiss that she had intended to give him as soon as the pod had opened. The _umph_ sound that Nedeser had made when she had taken him was immensely satisfying to Nadia. When they needed to breathe again, Nadia released his lips and said, "Hello there."

Des chuckled breathlessly and said, "Well hi. I'm glad you're feeling better. As much as I'd love to just snog with you for the rest of the evening, we need to figure this out."

Nadia let him go and said, "I know but I wanted to do that coming out of the pod and I was still a little weak so I couldn't. Let's take a look at the file."

Holiday was already working on it. "Whoever corrupted these files turned them into a big sticky mess. If there's anything on the First Son on there, it's all mixed in. Ohh, the Jedi Archives! They restore old files all the time, don't they? If I can link in, I can fix this in a snap."

Des nodded. "The sooner we can find out what is in those files, the better."

Holiday seemed quite eager as she said, "Sending a request to the Jedi Council."

Immediately, Master Satele Shan and Master Kaedan appeared from the holo projector. Master Shan looked relieved. "Ah you're alright. Reports of the fighting on Corellia have been dire."

"Indeed;" agreed Master Kaedan. "We have the Guardian Holds to oversee, troops to organize and you want to access the Jedi Archives now?"

Des set his jaw. "This file relates directly to the Children of the Emperor and their leader."

Master Satele and Master Kaedan looked at each other and the former said, "In that case, you may have full access."

Immediately, Holiday began her work. "Restoration in progress. Done! The file is... is..." and she gave a low gasp, "Oh Jedi, you need to see this right now!"

She put up the message. It was a Corellian noble or administrator or something speaking to a hooded and cloaked figure, clearly a Sith Lord and quite probably the First Son. The noble was speaking. "...too risky. My superiors still think the Empire will forget its debts."

The Sith said, "Then the Children of the Emperor will remind them. When the Republic falls, I will ensure Corellia's government is rewarded for aiding us."

The Corellian noble wasn't convinced. "But we've never heard of the First Son. How can we trust you're as powerful as you say?"

There was silence and then the figure lowered his hood. A top knot appeared and the figure turned showing his face. Nadia gasped and whispered, "Oh no!"

Des's eyes were darkened by anger and his jaw clenched. Their friends were dumbstruck. "Because we met once on Coruscant, Secretary Nadien. Do you still doubt I can do anything I wish?"

Des abruptly turned and walked away from the transmitter, unable to cope with that. "I can't believe what I'm seeing."

Nadia was beside him, her hands over her mouth. Masters Satele and Kaedan were back again and both were devastated. "What have we done?" whispered Master Satele. Kaedan was grim. "Contact Syo quickly."

Des strode up to the transmitter and contacted Master Syo. When he answered, he smiled benevolently down at Des. "Ah, you've arrived. Your forces are landing; the Guardians Holds are holding strong. The battle may yet go our way."

Master Kaedan all but growled, "Our way? Don't you mean the Emperor's? Isn't that who you really serve, First Son?"

Des crossed his burly arms and said, "We should give him a chance to explain."

Master Satele was uncharacteristically vulnerable as she begged, "Syo, please tell me it isn't true."

Suddenly, Syo Bakarn stiffened and said, "I'm afraid I cannot. It is now Master Syo's turn to be silent and watch. Fate has set me a challenge. I had hoped that I had more time but still, things must adapt or die."

Des slammed his fist on the console and growled, glaring at the Sith Lord. "Release Master Syo immediately."

The First Son sneered, "He is beneath your reach now, Jedi, in the place I was forced to occupy. You kindly entrusted the Guardian Holds to me and I trusted them to my brothers and sisters. Goodbye, Jeric and Satele and thank you."

He disappeared, leaving four very horrified Jedi. Satele looked stunned. "We just lost all communications with the Guardian Holds. All our troops... their leaders..."

Master Kaeden paced feverishly. "If he can take the Guardian Holds, he can take Coronet City. Corellia is lost - again."

Des gave the coldest, most vicious smile that any of them had ever seen him give. "The First Son doesn't know what MY troops are capable of."

Master Kaeden looked up and nodded. "Yes. No one has seen your forces fight before, not even Syo."

Master Satele looked almost pleadingly at Nedeser. "We must ensure that the Guardian Holds are not in enemy hands. But if they have fallen, your forces are our best hope to retake them."

Des shook his head. "No. My companions can lead on that front. I must find the First Son before he harms anyone else."

"But that could cost us the Guardian Holds. We will do what we can. The closest is Guardian Hold Six - a very large walker factory. General Aves and his men could get you there, past any Imperial resistance."

Suddenly, Holiday popped up. "I'll send word to our allies to meet us there, Jedi."

Master Kaedan looked very grim. "Guardian Hold Six must be saved. If Syo - if the First Son has already struck, you are our only hope."

They signed off and everyone was silent before Des began issuing orders. "Tharan, Qyzen, head towards Guardian Hold Six. I'll be right behind you. I... I need a minute."

They both complied and left Des and Nadia alone. Nadia folded herself into her master's arms and began to sniffle quietly. "I'm so sorry, Des;" she whispered. Des didn't reply. He just held her and allowed a few tears to course down his cheeks. He had never felt so helpless. A powerful Jedi Master was in reality, a Sith Lord. This master had been Des's friend and guide through all of this and had given him much advice. How could Nedeser stop someone as strong and brilliant as Syo Bakarn?

As if she had read his thoughts, Nadia whispered, "We'll get him, Des. We'll stop the First Son and we'll save Master Syo."

"How can you be so sure about that?" asked Des, suddenly feeling despair cloud his mind. Soft blue eyes met his and a small hand touched his stubbly cheek. "Because I know you. You won't stop until you have succeeded. Everything you have done, all of your training and all of your missions have led up to this, prepared you for this task. Now, with an army at your back and with your friends at your side, you'll win this victory. And I'll be there with you every step of the way."

Des looked down at her, studying her face. Her faith in him gave him confidence and her absolute surety strengthened his resolve. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead and said, "Thank you, Nadia."

She smiled and tilted her head back further. "I want a real kiss before we go out face our enemies."

Des smiled and he kissed her. It was a long, tender kiss and when it was over, Des felt that his confidence had returned - his confidence and his determination. After one more small smile, Des's face turned hard and stern with that determination. Nadia's own grew determined and he said, "Let's go. We have a city to retake."

 **Updated 12.06.2017**


	3. Chapter 3: Guardian Hold Six

As they exited the shelter, side by side, Nedeser's holocoms unit chimed. It was Tai Cordan. "We arrived at Guardian Hold Six. It's... it's bad. Someone took the hold from the inside."

Des looked grim. "The First Son mentioned he had his 'siblings' placed inside the Guardian Holds, but I thought we had more time."

Tai lifted a hand and said, "We have one stroke of luck, a very small one. A group of soldiers escaped and made a small camp. We can meet you there and put a strategy together."

"That's fortunate. We could use all the intel we can get on what's happening;" murmured Des. Tai suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Um... they've not been forth coming. We've tried contacting the man in charge and he's not responding. Can you hurry?"

Des growled, "We'll be there soon;" and signed off. Looking at Nadia, he asked, "Are you going to be okay? We need to run."

Nadia nodded. "I'll keep up."

They took off with force enhanced speed, running through the streets by burning buildings and fire fights between Imperial invaders and CorSec Officers, Republic Soldiers and Resistance Fighters. If it looked bad, Des and Nadia demolished the Imperial forces and directed the relieved forces to either a safe zone or another hot zone to continue the fight. It was almost an hour before they came to the coordinates that Tai had sent them. Twelve Voss commandos, six Esh-Ka warriors, four Balmorran War droids and one holo-droid that displayed a hologram of Tai Cordan were in cover in an around the area. As soon as they walked up on them, the man in charge of the defending Republic soldier, a Kiffar Jedi Knight, called out, "I have warned you enough! Stay back! I will not allow more lives to be lost."

Tai was appealing to the man in exasperation. "As I told you-oh, Jedi; can you talk to him?"

Des carefully strode forward, his hands up and his lightsaber clearly visible on his belt. "We are friends here. Remember, a Jedi listens first and strikes only when necessary."

The Jedi looked relieved and deactivated his blue bladed lightsaber. "So these people are with you, Master? I couldn't quite believe it after today."

Nadia smiled sympathetically and said, "It hasn't been a good for any of us."

The Jedi nodded and said, "I am Jari Orez. We're all that's left of the defenders. Like Aelan says, we can... never..." and he trailed off before lowering his head in shame. "The Council entrusted Guardian Hold Six to me and... my friend Aelan Kalder. Just another battle together, we said. And it was at first."

They were silent until Nadia and Des walked up beside the young Jedi Knight and Nadia put a small hand on his shoulder. "What happened then?"

"Aelan and I were checking on the sentries when he attacked me; not with his blaster but with the force, like a Sith. When I could stand again, he was killing our soldiers. I tried to stop him. Now Guardian Hold Six belongs to the Empire. How could Aelan do this? Even as we dueled, I felt no darkness, nothing!"

Des's voice was tight as he replied, "It's not your fault. I'm afraid that Aelan was a sleeper agent placed by the Sith."

Jari put his head in his hands and groaned. "I didn't think that this could be any worse. The Imperials occupy the main walker factory. They're making military walkers, building her own reinforcements. We must shut down the production lines. But Guardian Hold Six is a fortress with no way inside."

Gaden-Ko stroked his chin before stating. "You escaped, with many wounded. How?"

"During the fighting, a wall junction exploded and overloaded the security grid. But the junction will be repaired by now."

Des was silent for a moment before saying, "A precise hit could knock the security grid out for good."

Jari shook his head. "We cannot; not from the outside. But the wall outside, that might be vulnerable."

He began to warm to the idea. "Yes, your forces could break through the wall and distract the walkers. Then, you could slip in and stop production. But your forces will suffer heavy losses."

Des chewed his lower lip for a moment and sighed in deep regret. "Any loss is a tragedy but this is the only way."

With that, he turned back to his men. "We need to gather as many forces as we can for this. I want the Balmorra war droids to spearhead the attack and draw fire. I know they are expensive but they are worth every life they save. I imagine they know what to do against those walkers."

Tai grinned. "Indeed. They'll crack the wall for you, then take those walkers apart."

With that, the holo droid shut down the hologram. Gaden-Ko, Hallow Voice and the war droids began heading towards Guardian Hold Six. Des looked back at Jari who handed him a datacard. "Here are the codes to shut down the production lines. And Master, Aelan is still somewhere inside. Please, if you find him, try to help him. May the force be with you both."

Des nodded and gripped his shoulder before he and Nadia left. Over the next hour, they had to help their teams out of fights with the Imperial until a large force of Voss Commandos, Esh-Ka warriors and Balmorran war droids were gathered in a large, uneven semi-circle around one side of the hold. A pair of heavy war droids armed with rocket pods fire four bunker busting missiles directly at the wall, blasting a twelve meter gap into the wall. The droids swarmed in, targeting the walkers while the Voss commandos and Esh-Ka charged in and fired on the defending Imperial Troops and war droids. Des and Nadia blazed in, lightsaber lit, batting aside blaster bolds and sending hails of rubble at the defending Imperials before dashing into the factory. Rushing through the facility and cutting down Imperials as they went, Des and Nadia finally found the main Administration level. In the control room, Des walked up to the main counsel and entered the codes. The sounds of the production facilities surrounding them went silent and Nadia grinned. Des gave her a small smile. Pulling out his holocoms unit. Tai Cordan appeared and said, "Jedi, do you read? Our forces have made it inside Guardian Hold Six."

Des's small smile grew and he reported, "The production line has been suht down; no more walkers."

Tai nodded and said, "Don't celebrate yet. The droids report that one of the Imperial walker crews followed them and activated hostile units on the factory floors. Our forces are having a tough time. Anything you can do about that?"

"Yes. Alert them that friendly forces are on the way;"

Tai looked relieved. "Good, good. I can't send any more at this time. Just come as fast as you can."

They terminated comms and Des sighed, stretching and looking at his Padawan. "Ready to jump back in?" he asked lightly. Nadia grinned and twirled her lightsaber hilt almost eagerly. Taking a deep breath, Des ran to the door, Nadia on his heels. The factory floor was below and they had to blast and cut their way through more Imperials and used a industrial lift. The sight before them as they descended caused them to gasp. The war droid were being blasted to pieces as they formed a phalanx around Voss commandos and Esh-Ka, attempting to shield them from the walkers. Rushing forward, Des flung his lightsaber, cutting cleanly through the legs of one of the walkers while Nadia stretched out with the force, causing two of the munitions and ordinance pods to explode, taking a quartet of walkers with them. One by one, they leveled the walkers and they were just in time as there were only a half a dozen droids left. Gaden-Ko was already assisting his Voss healers to tend to the injured. "Jedi, your timing is impeccable. We were barely holding on. I take it that Hold Six is ours now?"

Des nodded but he still looked grim. "We have one last piece of business to take care of. Contact Hollow voice and secure this facility. Oh, and make a call to Jari Orez. He and his troops would be safer in here than out in their camp. Nadia and I have a Child of the Emperor to take care of."

"We lost contact with some of our forces in the area of the reactor chamber;" reported Tai Cordan. "I'd guess that's where the Sith is."

Des and Nadia hurried to a personnel lift and descended to the reactor level. It was there that they found Aeran Kaldor. He was tapping diligently away at a console as they strode up behind him. The Child of the Emperor snorted. "I knew it would be you. Did Jari beg you to 'save me'? Jedi are rats. You stomp on one, another comes scuttling back in."

Des's face was cold. "Jari was a loyal comrade who fought by your side."

Jari snorted and began to circle them both. "And he constantly tortured me with his constant goody-two-shoes sniveling. I know what you did to Blaesus, and Geland, and Sophia Farash. I won't lose Guardian Hold Six to a monster like you."

Nedeser looked pained. "I took no pleasure in it. They forced my hand."

Aeran considered and gave an almost apathetic shrug. "Lucky for me, I get to enjoy my duties. You know," and he patted the console with a smirk, "it took me awhile to find the start up codes but it was worth it. For my brothers and sisters."

With a single, powerful blast, he sent them sailing out of the console room and activated a ray shield, cutting them off. From adjacent corridors came Imperial war droids. Nadia scoffed and caused three of them to explode before she even ignited her lightsaber. Des didn't even bother, shredding them and sweeping them away with the force while Nadia danced through a group of them, cutting them down before their targeting systems even acknowledged her. When they were all smoking rubble, Des slammed his lightsaber into the ray shields emitter, causing it to flicker out.

Aeran ignited his weapon and attacked fiercely. Nadia and Des ignited theirs, Nadia using a single blade and striking an elegant stance, her hilt shrinking and curving slightly thanks to a modification that Doctor Cedrax had helped her with. They fought like two halves of the same being, delivering rapid fire assaults and then spinning away to give the other a shot. Aeran was highly skilled with the blade, holding them both but rarely getting an opportunity to retaliate. Seeing that Nadia was the weaker, he focused his attacks that he could make on her. The fight became blistering as they drove him around the room. Suddenly, he blasted Des away with a telekinetic blast and viciously attacked Nadia, forcing her completely on the defensive. Hitting a switch, her lightsaber hilt extended and a second emerald blade ignited and she spun it like a wind mill, catching her opponent off guard and driving him back in time for Des dive back into the fight with a furious assault of spinning blades. "Nadia, use this and re-enter the shut down codes."

He tossed her the data card. Catching it, Nadia bolted to the console. "No you don't, Padawan;" snarled Aeran and tried to rush after her. Des reached out, snatched him and flung him hard against a support column and then slammed him to the floor before renewing his assault. It was a very short fight after that, Aeran hobbling and wincing in pain from the force of being slammed so forcefully around. "Surrender, please;" begged Des. Aeran didn't reply but to snarl and attack again. "You cannot win. Isn't it obvious, Aeran? You're beaten. Just yield!"

He wouldn't and it was clear that he was willing to commit suicide on Des's blade - which is exactly what he did. Des easily disarmed him with a neat twirl of the tip of his blade. Immediately, Aeran impaled himself on the silver blade, snarling and glaring as he did. Des was shocked as the Sith slid to the floor, dead. Nadia ran over, open mouthed and wide eyed. "I couldn't save him;" whispered Des. Suddenly, a holocoms unit near the command console activated and there stood the First Son, his hands clasped behind his back. "I sense that Aeran Kaldor has fallen. You and your curiosities have teeth. But the Republic is still crumbling. You grasp as sand, Jedi and it slips through your fingers."

Refusing to address the First Son, Des turned to the holocoms unit and addressed the repressed Master Syo Bakarn. "I know you can hear me, Master. The Emperor can only trap you, not destroy you."

Nadia nodded in agreement as she stood beside her master. The First Son lifted a bushy brow and said, "Fascinating."

"Nadia Grell, Master Satele, Master Jaric - they know who you truly are."

"Master;" pleaded Nadia, "you once scolded Duras Fain for five minutes without drawing breath. You can handle this... this... interloper."

"Nadia and Duras Fain - my friends;" and for just a moment it was Master Syo again but the First Son quickly reasserted control. "Enough. You shall watch, Syo, as your pupil suffers for this;" and the holocoms unit deactivated. Des sighed heavily and bent forward, placing his elbows on his thighs and his head in his hands. Nadia placed a soft hand on his shoulder, rubbing it comfortingly. After several deep breaths and several long moments, Des straightened and said, "We need to go."

They turned in time to see Jari kneeling beside a dead Aeran and gasping, "Aeran! No, he can't be! Not like this!"

Turning to Des, his face so much like a child's, Jari said quietly, "I didn't feel anything. A single day couldn't change a whole lifetime of... of good deeds. He must have become one with the force."

Des sighed and shook his head, replying, "In the end, dark and light, all things are part of the force."

With tears running down his olive green face, Jari murmured, "Thank you, Master. That was kind. I think that you turned the tide. Many of President Cordan's droids survived the battle. I believe that if I repair the wall, my Republic troops and I can hold Guardian Hold Six. Your troops are needed in Axial Park."

Nedeser frowned and asked, "Where is Axial Park?"

Jari smiled sadly and said, "It's the most beautiful parkland in the Republic - until the first bombs fell. Another of our fortresses is there - Guardian Hold Four. We've received reports that it too has fallen to the enemy. Apparently, the Republic is planning a push. They hope to overcome the Imperials and retake Guardian Hold Four with sheer force of numbers."

Des frowned. "A military operation that size, concerning a Guardian Hold... I wonder if the First Son is involved."

Jari shrugged. "There is a Republic safe house in Axial Park where you can hold your councils. I shall send word to your allies. Goodbye, Master. I will try to guard this place well."

Des shook his hand and gripped his shoulder with a reassuring smile. "I know you will, Jari. Go now, Jedi and fulfill the will of the force."

The young Jedi Knight smiled with a trace amount of pride before hurrying away to organize the defenses of Guardian Hold Six. When he was out of sight, Des sighed tiredly. "This is going to be a very long day. I can just tell."

Nadia nodded and leaned against a support column. Des considered her for a moment and said, "I hope we can convince the Republic leadership of this push to hold off for a couple hours so that we can at least meditate and refresh."

Nadia nodded and then a mischievous grin crossed her face. "Perhaps a little private time too."

Des smiled ruefully and said, "If only we could but I doubt it. But remember, my love, the longer the waiting, the sweeter the kiss."

"I wasn't only referring to a kiss, darling;" said Nadia offhandedly. Des laughed and they straightened and headed to the surface.

* * *

Axial Park looked like it could have rivalled even the best of Coruscant's parks had it not been shelled by Imperial bombers. Going into an admin building that contained the safe house, Des and Nadia took stick. They were all their - Gaden-Ko, Hollow Voice and Tai Cordon via his holodroid. There were no Republic Officers nor any of the very liberal Jedi sect called the Green Jedi. As soon as he entered, Nedeser said, "You made it. Did the Republic have any information about Guardian Hold Four?"

Gaden-Ko looked grim and only said, "Bad news;"

Tai Cordan nodded solemnly. "Guardian Hold Four is worse than the last one. I hope you're ready to hear this. Guardian Hold Four used to be a small manor called Bakvalen Hall. Now it's bristling with defenses; turrets, force fields... but now that it was betrayed from the inside, those weapons are all protecting the enemy."

Des considered carefully before stating, "If the betrayer is another Child of the Emperor, capturing them might give us a way to the First Son."

Hallow voice lifted a fist and said, "As the First Son strikes from the sky, we strike from the earth."

Tai Cordan nodded. "The Republic gave us information on Guardian Hold Four's defenses. They're... serious. First, it has an early warning system. Sensors across the park warn of any approaching enemies. Then, a force field protects the courtyard and passed that, the main security door is durasteel lock with a full security system."

Des sighed and rubbed his throbbing temples. "Early warning sensors, force fields, secure doors - Master Syo sure knows how to build a Guardian Hold."

Tai nodded. "That force field is a major problem. I can't think of a way past it."

Gaden-Ko lifted a hand and said, "Jedi, if you destroy the sensors, the enemy will drop the force field to investigate."

Des's eyes widened. "Have you foreseen the Imperials will do this?"

Gaden-Ko gave a confident smile. "Not seeing; knowing."

Tai agreed quickly. "Once the sensors are destroyed, a surprise attack would put us past the force field. So we need, say, a 'Red Team' to ambush the Imperials that come out after the force field is lowered."

Gaden-Ko nodded, murmuring, "Red Team must be strong. Imperials will fight hard."

Des looked at the three of them. "I'd welcome any insights you have."

"Send commandos;" said Gaden-ko confidently and the other two nodded. Tai scratched his chin. "That leaves the main door. When the force field goes down, we can get to the power generators; we disable them, the main door unlocks. We should assign a 'Blue Team' to disable these generators. A very small group would work"

Des nodded and pointed at him. "Your droids would make short work of their security."

Gaden-Ko pointed out, "The teams will need your help later. Blue Team will need protection as they work and Red Team will need battle support."

Tai looked at Des. "We have a plan. As soon as you're done destroying the sensors, go to Guardian Hold Four and assist your team. Are you ready?"

Des shook his head. "No. I need a couple of hours of meditation or else I could make a fatal mistake in battle do to fatigue."

Gaden-Ko nodded and said, "I will tell my commandos to rest and prepare."

Tai disappeared and Hollow Voice showed Des and Nadia to a room with bunks before leaving them. Sitting across from one another, Des and Nadia sat cross legged and sank deeply into the force, allowing it to relax their tired muscles, heal their minor scrapes and bruises and drain away the fatigue from their mind. For two hours, they simply basked in the force and when they opened their eyes, they felt rested and fresh. Nadia smiled and asked with a mild purr, "Are you sure we can't take another hour to... um..." and she trailed off. Des smiled and stood to his feet, proffering his hand. "The longer the waiting..."

Nadia sighed and took his hand. "...the sweeter the kiss."

They both left the bunker and greeted the teams. Tai asked, "Are you ready now, Master Barsen'thor?"

Des nodded resolutely. "Yes. May the force be with us."

 **Updated 12.06.2017**


	4. Chapter 4: Guardian Hold Four

They leaped into a storm a blaster fire and smoke, their lightsaber blades humming and cracking as they swatted blaster bolts aside. The once beautiful park had been transformed into a killing field but not for the Jedi or Republic forces as originally intended but for the Imperials and their Sith masters. All over the park, every hundred meters or so were the sensors and whenever they came across any in the vicinity of Guardian Hold Four, they demolished them. When Nedeser was satisfied, he keyed his comlink. "This is the Barsen'thor. You're clear to go and I'll be there soon."

Nadia grabbed a hair tie and pulled it back into a short tail to prevent her hair from continuously falling into her face. Des smiled at her. "That's a new look for you. How cute;"

Nadia replied, "You know, most women don't prefer to the term cute. It's demeaning and patronizing." as they took off running towards Guardian Hold Four. "But you call me cute and adorable all the time;" countered Des. Nadia chuckled, "Well it's okay if we do it to you. We're women and you're men."

Des chuckled and said, "That's a double standard if I've ever heard one."

"Your so cute sometimes;" giggled Nadia as they reached the Hold. Twenty-four commandos were cutting down the Imperial Soldiers and war droids that had emerged from the Hold while Tai Cordan's war droids attacked the power generator just passed the energy barrier. "Nadia, help with the generator. I'll take the Imperials."

Nadia nodded and complied, blazing through the Imperials and rushing towards where the Balmorran war droids were blasting at the generators. It was encased in capital ship armor-grade durasteel and even the powerful laser cannons of the three war droids were taking some time to get threw. Reaching out, Nadia was about to blow the whole generator but paused for a moment. The amount of power it would take to blow this generator would exhaust her if not put her completely out of the fight. "Hold your fire;" she ordered the droids and began to circle the generator. "Engage in sentry mode and cover my back. I'll take care of the generator."

Igniting her lightsaber, she drove it into the outer casing and leaned into it, working to cut slices out of it. It took longer than she had hoped but it was worth it. Inside was an organized mass of wires, circuit boards and a power core. The power core was pure plasma that was contained inside a high grade transparasteel tube. Nadia chewed her lip and, once again, contemplated destroying it with her powers. With a nod of finality, she called to the droids, "Clear the area and prepare to breach the security door. We need to be ready to enter as soon as this shield goes down."

The droids moved to obey and Nadia faced the power generator. Reaching out with the force, she touched the power core. Using the force to protect her ears from loud noises and closed her eyes to protect her eyes. As an after thought, she also projected a force barrier to guard from shrapnel and the shock wave. Taking a deep breath, she employed her unique explosive ability on the power core. The explosion was spectacular and, despite her barrier, sent the young woman flying back several meters and landing her on her back with an _umph_. She sensed her master's alarm in the force and sent him some soothing thoughts as she got up a little shakily. Quickly, she ran to where the three war droids were. They had already eliminated the Imperial forces at the door and they stood ready to advance. Turning to assist the Voss Commandos, Nadia was gratified to see that the Imperials were either dead or captured and her master was running towards her. "Are you alright?" he asked. Nadia nodded with a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Master. The shock wave was just a little more energetic than I thought it was. I just need to regain my breath."

Des sighed with relief and then began to scold her. "Nadia, you have to be more careful. If you were too closer, you would have been disintegrated or filled with shrapnel."

Nadia smiled patiently and said, "I know, Master. Luckily the force barrier stopped both the shrapnel and the brunt of the shock wave."

Des nodded and resisted the urge to hug her tightly. Clearing his throat, he said, "Let's go. We need to get into the Guardian Hold. Ah, the droids have already cleared the entrance for us. Well done, Nadia. You're getting a real handle on being a leader."

Nadia smiled and blushed slightly as they moved to the entrance. "We need get to the command room of this place. Have the commando teams and war droids spread out and comb this place. Nadia and I will head in deeper."

With lightsabers activated and ready, they advanced through the facility. For over an hour, they went deeper and deeper, meeting Imperial soldiers, war droids and Sith Lords and eliminating them as they went. As they went, it was pretty clear that they were getting closer to the command center. The number and frequency of enemies increased and the wall markers were showing signs of restricted access. "Fat lot of good those did;" murmured Nadia. Des snorted in amusement. A quartet of heavy assault war droids came around the corner and Des crushed two while Nadia caused the other two to explode. It had become a common thing - meeting squads of soldiers or assault droids and demolishing them or running into one, two, three or four Sith Lords. These battles were much more intense but none of their opponents were terribly powerful - young Warriors and Marauders who had not long been out of the Academy on Korriban. Even the more powerful Sith were no match for them. Finally, they entered a large briefing hall with pillars. Nedeser frowned and murmured, "Keep a sharp eye, Nadia. Someone's here."

"You trespass here, Jedi;" came a harsh voice and from a door came a trio of figures in blood red armor. Two were clearly elite Imperial troopers but one of them was an Imperial Guardsman with a tech staff. "Guardian Hold Four now belongs to the Emperor."

Des didn't reply to that declaration, instead simply saying, "I have come for the Child of the Emperor."

The Imperial Guardsman brandished his staff. "The honored daughter is out of your reach. We will see to it. We are the Imperial Guard - the Emperor's chosen. We live and die at his command. And his First Son will secure our victory. I see your weakness, Jedi - and how to shatter you.

"The force will sustain me;" said Des serenely. Nadia turned, facing the pair of troopers and taking a deep breath. "You will never reach the honored daughter, Jedi. One by one, your Republic fellows will turn. All is lost, Jedi."

The click of blaster rifles switching from safe to fire initiated the fight. Nadia opened with a telekinetic blast sherew one of the troopers away before charging the other, skillfully attacking. To her surprise, the trooper was agile and quick, able to avoid her attacks with dodges.

Des was fairing little better. The tech staff was lightsaber resistant and the Guardsman was highly skilled - possibly better with his techstaff than Des was with his lightsaber not to mention highly advanced in unarmed combat. But Des's advantage was the force. He sank into it completely, closing his eyes and allowing it to guide his actions.

Nadia reached out and caused one of her opponents' weapons to explode but it was all she had time for before being forced to go on the defensive and evasive as the other opened up with a rapid fire. As she fought, she sensed utter serenity radiating off of Des as he sank into the force. Following suit, Nadia sensed the world slowing around her but there was something else as she leaped, avoiding more blasts and landing directly behind her master. She could sense him. Nadia could sense Nedeser with the greatest clarity. It was as if his mind and her mind had become one. Every movement he made, she could sense. Every time he received a blow, she felt it but she could also see his brilliant, beautiful mind and the vast knowledge and great bravery. But also there, interlaced in and permeating everything was love - love for the Republic, for the Jedi Order and for the people of the galaxy but above everything else was an absolute and unconditional love for her, for Nadia herself. She forced herself to tuck that away for after this conflict.

Des was not ignorant to the effect. He would have loved to revel in the presence, in the very being that was his beloved Nadia Grell but this was a battle. Even so, he realized that seeing into the mind of his apprentice gave them both an advantage. Des didn't take control of the whole fight but he did direct much of it, helping Nadia use all of her innate talents. At the same time, Nadia's own unique mind frame was influencing him. The battle ended quickly as Nadia used her ability to shatter the enemies' weapons and then ducked as Des executed a flourishing, spinning slash, bisecting their opponents in one, unavoidable and lightning fast move. They both stood to their feet and looked at one another. But now wasn't the time to discuss it. In wordless ascent, they turned to the door their enemies had come from and entered. Inside were three individuals - a female Republic Soldier and two high ranking Imperial Officers. Suddenly, the Republic soldier spoke. "My brother said that you would be persistent. But I was almost hoping we'd meet."

One of the officers stood and said in a respectful tone, "Pardon my forwardness to a daughter of the Emperor but you should not risk yourself."

"But General;" said the Child of the Emperor, "a chance to speak to the Barsen'thor himself," and she turned to Nedeser. "You were actually mentored by the First Son."

"My mentor," said Des, his voice thickening with emotion, "was Master Syo Bakarn - a Jedi Master and a force for good. Your First Son had nothing to do with it."

The soldier laughed beginning to circle him as she said, "Look at me. I was some nobody Republic Corporal until I heard the Emperor's voice. I was reborn. Guardian Hold Four seems like such a paltry gift in return."

Des turned to face her. "If you truly wish to learn, the path of the Jedi is still open to you."

This man never ceased to amaze Nadia. This woman was one who constantly heard the Emperor's voice and yet, Nedeser Thul was offering her redemption. She quite honestly didn't know whether to be angry or proud. The Child of the Emperor was replying now. "You want me to betray my family? Oh I know what would please my brother - seeing you humbled. There is so much I could learn from you if I leave you alive."

With a flipping leap, the Child placed herself between them and the door before sending a blast of force lightning at them. They both spun out of its path and engaged. Again, they sank into the force and their minds bonded. The battle was short as they overwhelmed the Child of the Emperor. Neither of the Jedi had any intention of taking her alive. Despite Nedeser's offer, they both knew that such a thing would be far more dangerous than helpful. In the end, she died with Nadia's lightsaber in her heart. As she collapsed to the floor, Nedeser turned to the pair of military officers and said in a calm voice, "Let's discuss the terms, gentlemen."

* * *

An hour later, they emerged from Guardian Hold Four. The rest of the crew and those who were commanding the ground forces of the Rift Alliance gathered in the conference hall. The two Imperial officers were still there, sitting moodily as they filed in. Zenith was the last to enter. "Positions secured; picked trustworthy guards and the security grids are being fixed."

One of the Imperial Officers, a General Merion, snorted and said, "The Imperial Guard will return here. You can't survive another onslaught."

Des shrugged. "We only have to hold this place until the First Son is found."

The other officer, General Grann, placed his hands behind his back, straightening, "We're prepared to be reasonable, Jedi."

His compatriot turned to him in shock. "What are you doing?"

"He just defeated Imperial Guardsmen and a child of the Emperor, Merion. Think."

He turned back to the Jedi. "We do not know where the First Son is. But there's a government bunker beneath capital square that's been transmitting our orders. It's called Guardian Hold One."

Merion's teeth were bared as he snarled, "The Sith with crush you for that Grann."

Grann simply ignored him, continuing to speak to Des. "After the Corellian government betrayed their people, the consequences of their actions must be weighing on their minds. So with two Guardian Holds reclaimed, Corellia's key officials will be hiding in Guardian Hold One. The First Son has likely joined them."

Des turned to Zenith. "We should see what the situation is in Capital Square."

He left with a commando when the room's comms unit suddenly activated. It was the First Son. "Yet another Guardian Hold lost because of you. It's tragic - both Daresha's loss and your failure. A true Jedi Master could have guided her back to the light."

Only just managing to stifle a wince at the truth of the First Son's words, Des ignored him, speaking instead to Master Syo. "The First Son does not speak for you, Master. Your voice is your own - use it."

There was a visible shift on Syo's face and he managed to grit out with effort. "You... you do the Jedi credit. You must fight. And I... I will."

The shift again, and the First Son snarled, "Be silent! Dozens of my brothers and sisters still lie in wait. Even the best hunter's arrow only strikes once. You are going to your death."

With that last word, the comms unit signed off. Des rubbed his temples in exhaustion before sighing, "Turn these two over to regular Republic forces. Tomorrow, we take Guardian hold one. In the mean time, get some sleep and eat a good meal. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

Everyone began to filter but Des simply sat there, his mind racing. He wasn't sure how long he sat there. At one point, Zenith called and reported that Capital Square was chaos, with Republic and Imperial soldiers battling there. Zenith also reported that he had seen no sign of another Guardian Hold. This just sent Nedeser deeper into his brooding. He didn't even notice the small, soft hand on his shoulder until it had shaken him gently and his name had been called. "Master? Master! DES!"

"What?" he said, looking up to see Nadia, who was balancing two plates of food on her other arm. "I figured you'd be hungry so I got you some food. Professor Cedrax is cooking and he makes some good stuff. I mean, it smells good anyway."

Des smiled tiredly and took one of the plates, beginning to eat automatically. Nadia plopped down beside him and began to eat as well. They were silent, with Nadia focusing on her food and Des, on his thoughts. When they were finished, Nadia pushed the plates to the side and shook him again. "Des, come on; let's go to bed. I found one of the generals' quarters and they insisted that we take it - well, they insisted that you take it at least but you know I'm not going anywhere. Come on."

Des sighed and stood, saying as he did, "I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight. I'll just meditate."

"No;" said Nadia firmly, "My love, you need to get some real sleep and so do I. I'll help you sleep. First, though, we should probably shower. No offense but you kinda stink."

When his face remained slack, Nadia took his face in one hand and said, "Hey." She gently made him look at her. "What's bothering you, Des?"

With a massive sigh, Des leaned against a wall and replied, "It's just so much. There is so much going on and I can't help but feel like it's all on my shoulders. I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it."

Nadia smiled and brushed a thumb against his cheek before quietly saying, "You know, Des, you might be right. On your own, you may not be able to do all this. You want to here some good news?"

Des looked at her expectantly. She motioned him downwards and he leaned over slightly so that she could whisper in his ear. "You're not alone, Nedeser. You have me, the crew and an entire army and fleet fighting with you. Taking all of that into consideration, do you honestly think you can fail? YOU?"

She kissed his increasingly stubbled cheek and whispered, "Now come on. We're going to take a shower and then we're going to bed and you are going to sleep - eventually."

Des felt a smile crossing his face. Feeling his mood lightened, he sighed dramatically and said, "I don't know, Nadia. I'm pretty tired. I don't think I can."

Nadia cocked one eyebrow and smirked. "Oh you don't do you? Hmmm... I'll see what I can do about that. Come on. This way."

They tried to hurry without looking like they were hurrying and soon enough found themselves in a large room. It was pretty basic though large, with a small kitchenette, a large refresher, a study and, of course, a bed room with a bed that was too large for just one being. "Wow!" said Des. "This is a nice room. It must be good to be a general."

Nadia was already heading towards the refresher, shedding her garments as she did.

 **Updates 12.06.2017**


	5. Chapter 5: Guardian Hold One

**Warning: Lemons ahead. For Mature Readers Only.**

Nedeser woke with a warm, soft body cradled against his chest and abdomen. With a deep breath, he smelled Nadia's sweet scent. Smiling, he kissed the back of her head. She gave the most endearing whimper and turned around in his arms, facing him. Her large blue eyes were still sleepy but she smiled and did her best to snuggle deeper into his embrace. Her knees brushed against him and she looked down before looking back up - her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Should I take care of that for you?"

Des sighed and checked his chrono, fully expecting to find that it was time, or too near time, to wake and begin another tiring day of battle and conflict. However, it turned out that it was still very early. For several long moments, Nedeser contemplated his options. In truth, the wisest course of action would probably be going back to sleep or at least meditating for an hour or so before getting back to the war. However, his love was giving him those bedroom eyes and biting her lip teasingly and pressing herself against him. Suddenly, she sighed and half rolled, half climbed on top of him. "I can't believe it's actually taking you time to decide. Seriously, Des, did you really think you would pick any other decision?"

The Jedi master chuckled as he slowly brushed his hands up and down the smooth, soft skin of her back. "Probably not but you know me; I have to consider everything before making a decision."

"Well you're taking too long so now I'm just going to have my way with you;" she said, sitting up and pinning his hands beside his head. Des was continuously getting more and more surprised by her boldness - as least in private. It was refreshing. When they were in intimate settings, they were equals in his mind. She was his partner then, not his student or another Jedi under his command.

"I love you;" he said, before flipping her over and kissing her. Nadia arched up so that as much of her body as possible was pressed against him. Des wrapped an arm around her, holding her against him as their lips and tongues dueled and danced together. Her legs wrapped around his waist and she ground against him, desperately wanting friction. The Jedi Master moved from his lips to the side of her neck, nibbling and kissing along her pulse line. Nadia moaned and shivered. "Can we skip the foreplay, Des?"

"Nope;" he rumbled. "I like watching and hearing you enjoy it too much."

"Stars above! Don't tease me so much!" she whimpered as he nibbled her collar bones. Nedeser just chuckled. "But every time you smile or brush your hair aside or look at me with those brilliant, wonderful blue eyes, I feel like you're teasing me. It always just makes me want to kiss you and ravage you."

"Yes, but... but..." but she couldn't get it out. Des was using feather light kisses to halt her speech. Between moans, she did manage to articulate, "You suck!"

Nedeser grinned and said, "Yes I do;" and his mouth fastened on one of her pert nipples. Nadia moaned even louder and tried to grind against him. "Master! Oh Master, please!"

Des leisurely kissed his way to the other before giving it the same loving treatment. Nadia was shivering with pleasure, her arms and legs still clutching him as she continued to moan. As he continued downward, using his muscular arms to move her body upward, she gasped out, "Nedeser, I need you to make love to me!"

Deciding that he had tormented her enough, Nedeser kissed her navel and set her down. Suddenly, she flipped him over and kissed him. "You're mean to me;" she declared between mashing her lips to his. Des chuckled and tried to say, "And you love it;" but he couldn't get it out with her tongue caressing his tonsils. One of her hands ducked out of sight and grasped him, causing him to buck slightly. Slowly, she lined him up and sank down, moaning into her kisses. Fully seated, she sat up with a sigh of contentment before looking down at Des, cocking her head to the side and considering him. There was a playful, wicked gleam in her blue eyes. "You know, Master, you seem to forget that I always get payback. So how shall I exact my revenge on you?"

Nedeser lifted his hands but she pinned them beside his head. "Oh no! It's my turn. Now just lay there and take your just desserts."

Slowly, she unjulated her hips, dragging her finger tips down my arms as she did. With a sultry purr, "Mmmm, these muscles. I love these muscles."

Her finger tips kept going, brushing my biceps, shoulders and pectorals. Continuing, she leaned down, and began to kiss the side of his neck and whispered, "Are you enjoying my sweet torture, lover? Are you regretting your horrible teasing of me yet?"

Nedeser grinned and growled, "Yes to the first and no to the second. I'm quite enjoying this even if it is sublime suffering."

"No fair," she cued. "How is it that you can handle my teasing so well?"

"Because I enjoy it so very much, my love; now, my question is this: are you going to continue this or shall we get to the part where I make love to you passionately."

Nadia froze and then whispered, trying to sound more alluring and less needing. "I think I'd rather make love to you passionately."

With that, she sat up slightly and began to slowly raise and lower her hips, moaning desperately. Nedeser's eyes flickered and he groaned, bucking his hips up and down in rythem with Nadia's movements. There eyes met and, even through the moans, she smiled at him. The Jedi Master sat up and took her hips. "I love you so much, Nadia;" he said, utterly earnest. Nadia blinked back tears and wrapped her arms around him, kissing him with tenderness. Nedeser swung them around laid her down, gently pinning her hands against the bed. At a steady, easy pace, he continued their love making, never averting his eyes until she had to close them tightly and moan out a through her climax. The squeezing sensation almost sent him over the edge but Nedeser wasn't done yet. He wanted to bring her to more pleasure, to show her how much he loved her. Nedeser slowed way down, kissing her lips again before picking back up his pace. Before too long, he thrust into her vigorously. Nadia had to bite down on a blanket to stifle her pleasured screams. Des himself was grunting into each thrust, becoming overwhelmed by the sensation of his body buried in her. With a stifled groan, he climaxed, surprised that she screamed out another as well.

 **Mature Content Ends Here**

Des rolled over with his beloved on top of him. They both gasped for breath and mewed in pleasure. "I love you too, Nedeser;" she said, snuggling into my chest. For over an hour, they just lay there, basking in their love for one another. With a disgruntled sigh, Nedeser said, "We need to get up and grab some breakfast. Today, we take Guardian Hold One and hopfully turn the tide firmly in our favor on this world."

Nadia sat up and stretched luxuriously before sliding off. "Shower first. We stink."

After a quick shower, without any sort of play, they headed to the mess section. The food was bland but filling and supposedly nutritious. After eating and with piping hot cups of caf, they went to the main control room of the Hold. There, Nedeser's crew waited with several Republic officers. On the holocoms was one of the Vos commando lieutenants in combat armor, Tasan-Ge his name was. He was clearly giving a report. "Capital square has both Republic and Imperial soldiers, all fightning. No Guardian Hold One. A Republic checkpoint is close. They may help. I'll send their position to everyone."

With that, the image disappeared. Des nodded and turned to everyone. "Alright, show me a topographical view of the square."

He leaned forward as the hologram flickered into view. Zenith and Felix began pointing out positions of Republic and Imperial Troops, hot spots where the battle was the most intense and, after obtaining the information, where the Republic outpost was. Des took it all in and began issuing orders. "Send four squads of Esh-Ka to this engagement here. If our troops are falling back, we need to solidify our position. Felix, you should go with them to make sure the Republic forces don't panic and open fire on them. Tharan, you go too in case they need first aid. Zenith, take a squad of Vos Commandos and three of Sar'kai to the engagement in the south. If we can turn their flank there, we can hopefully start to sweep the square. Leave the Balmorran droids in reserve and we can send them to where ever they need to go. Qyzen, where do you think you would do best?"

The Trandoshan hunter pointed to where the battle was thickest. Des chuckled and said, "Great! Don't be too reckless, my friend. We'll need you later."

Nadia pulled her comlink and sent a message ahead to make sure the Trandoshan was received well by the Republic forces. Des straightened from the table and said, "Nadia and I will head to the outpost and join the fight where we are needed as soon as possible. Let's go."

They headed out of the hold. Squads of commandos and troops were hurrying through the streets or hopping into troop carrier skiffs. Des and Nadia hopped onto the back of a swoop and zipped off to the coordinates of the outpost. "I really enjoyed last night - and this morning;" called Nadia over the whine of the engines. Des smiled and said, "Me too; we should really do that more often."

Nadia laughed and jabbed into his ribs. "I try to but you say no all the time. You keep saying, 'oh we can't! We might get found out!' or 'no, it's not the right time, Nadia!' and other ridiculous excuses like that."

Des laughed and said, "I know. I must be crazy for saying no."

Nadia leaned forward and kissed the back of his neck above the collar of his robe. Moments later, they pulled up to a bunker. At first, the guards outside lifted their weapons but, seeing the lightsabers and the white and brown robes, they lowered them, sighing with relief. "Thank the force;" murmured one. "We have Jedi here."

The other was radioing in before saying to fulfill duties. "State your names, Master Jedi."

"Barsen'thor Nedeser Thul. This is my apprentice, Nadia Grell."

Both guards must have been slack jawed under their armored helmets because the face plates stared at them. "G-go right in;" said the one at the same time that the other said, "Oh hell yes! This battle's as good as won!"

They both bowed awkwardly as the two Jedi went in. Nadia was blushing self-consciously as they stepped into the bunker. When they got to the command center, a young, nervous looking man stood at the console with three holocomms units displaying Gaden-ko, Hollow Voice and Tai Cordon. He turned to face them. As soon as his eyes fell on them, Des cleared his throat and said, "Are you in charge here, Sergeant?"

The young man nodded, too in awe to answer allowed. "I'm looking for a bunker called Guardian Hold One; Corellian officials may be hiding there."

Finally recovering his military baring, the young sergeant replied, "Oh... yes, sir. Corporal - I'm sorry, Sergeant Rossiker, Repulic Operations. You said a 'Guardian Hold One.' Sir, if there was an escape route nearby, we should have been informed."

Des grimaced and said, "I was hoping you would know where to look."

The sergeant shook his head. "I don't, Sir, and it's too dangerous to send people out scouting."

After a short silence, Sergeant Rossiker said, "Do you have any more details on Guardian Hold One? We're not a combat unit here but we have some resources."

Des scratched his scruffy goatee, absently making a mental note to shave the next time he got the chance. "The officials inside would have gone to ground only a few hours ago."

The Sergeant scratched his head and said, "Well government officials would want to know the state of theatre overhead, wouldn't they? So, Guardian Hold One would be monitoring the surface. The signal is probably scattered but our array's pretty good..."

Des smiled and nodded. "Yes, a military grade array should get that signal in short order."

That's when the sergeant began to shuffle slightly. "Well, normally yes. We'd just need to link to comms points around capital square. Uh... Sir, those point monitor and boost signals but the Imperials took them all yesterday. No one can get near them."

Des nodded in understanding. "I take it that the Empire has put guards on this point."

Sergeant Rossiker winced and looked down. "There's reports that the Imperial Guards are on the watch and there are Sith them. The Empire know those comms points are valuabe. It'll be a blood bath."

Des chewed his lip before saying, "All I need to know is, if I retake the comms points, can you find the bunker?"

"Absolutely. The signals not so... I mean, yes sir, some of the comms points are on roof tops. It would take too long for one person to fight up to them, even you sir."

Gaden-Ko said on the holo, "There are enough Esh-Kha to take the rooftop points. You take the rest."

Rossiker looked more optimistic at that news. Pulling a code cylinder from his belt, he said, "Sir, when you've retaken the communications points, just change them to this frequency. A few seconds will be enough. We'll do the rest. I'm afraid the hard part is up to you. Be careful, Sir."

Des nodded and looked at Nadia. The young woman gave a firm nod and they headed out. Back at the speeder, Nedeser turned to his apprentice. "We'll need to use caution. Stay close and don't take any chances."

Nadia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "This isn't my first time facing the Imperial Guard or Sith, Master."

Des smiled fondly at her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know you have but I get the feeling that this is going to be many times worse. Now come, let's get to it, shall we?"

They both mounted the swoop and headed towards the first of the indicated points. The first was on the fringe of the massive battle in capital square. Two Imperial Guards and a Sith Warrior were there. All three leaped into action as soon as Des and Nadia got off their swoop. The Sith warrior went straight for Nedeser while the guardsmen attempted to engage Nadia. The fight was quick, brutal and easy for the Jedi. The young, inexperienced and overconfident Sith Warrior was easily cut down and the two guardsmen, just as overconfident, did not expect to have to face the Jedi Master along with his apprentice, mistakenly thinking that the Sith would be able to defeat the master. One fell to Nedeser while the other, surprised to find himself alone, was cut down by Nadia. Turning to the device, Des motioned to it, "Would you like to do the honors, Nadia?"

She nodded and activated the device. Once it was up and running, she entered the frequency. Immediately, they jumped back onto the swoop and sped off towards the next one. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it, Master?" said Nadia as they went. Des chuckled. The young apprentice ate those words when they arrived at the second one. Apparently, it was in the middle of a changing shift. There was a captain of the guard, four Imperial guards and two Sith warriors this time. Des blasted them back away from the comms unit. "Set the device up;" he commanded and engaged. Nadia wanted to disobey but, instead quickly activated the device and set his frequency. Her master was using a tight, defensive lightsaber form that kept the Sith and Imperial Guards at bay with difficulty. When she had set the device, she yanked two of the guards away from the fight and impaled one of them before fiercely engaging the second. The opening she had made gave Des and edge, allowing him to eliminate one of the Sith Warriors and one of the guards in a spinning sweep. From there, the fight quickly fizzled out as the second Sith Warrior and three Imperial guards fell one and two at a time. "Well done, Nadia, and thank you."

The remainder of the points were much like the former two, either being guarded by two Imperial Guards and a Sith or five Imperial Guards and two Sith in the middle of guard change. After several hours, when the sun was high above the burning city, the last Sith slumped to the ground and the last comms device was activated. After a couple seconds, Nedeser's comms unit chimed. Upon activating it, he was pleased hear Sergeant Rossiker's voice. "Sergeant Rossiker, reporting; we're triangulating Guardian Hold One now. Please stand by."

It seemed as though they were waiting forever and every now and again, Des heard the young sergeant on the other end mutter, "Come on, come on!"

Finally, Sergeant Ressiker exclaimed, "Yes! Got you! Sir, this is our best estimate at the entrance, within a few meters, and I recommend you get inside ASAP. Our reports of that zone look like trouble."

Des chuckled darkly. "Well, nothing worthwhile is never easy."

The sergeant sighed and said, "It looks like the Imperials are barricading the entrance to Guardian Hold One, sir. I'm sorry; there's nothing else I can do."

"You and your men have already been very helpful, Sergeant. Thank you."

Sergeant Ressiker bowed his head respectfully. "We all appreciate that sir. Good luck. Sergeant Ressiker signing off."

Nedeser put his comlink back on his belt and looked over at Nadia. She stood to her full, if unimpressive height. Her head was high and her eyes, determined. The Jedi Master felt a swell of pride. With a smile, he walked over to her and took her hands. "My fearless apprentice and my beautiful love, are you ready to enter the jaws of fire and death beside me?"

Nadia stood on the tips of her toes and gently kissed his lips before replying, "I'll go with you wherever you go. I love you, Nedeser."

Nedeser leaned his forehead against hers. "I love you too."

They mounted the swoop bike and blazed off through the city streets. Des was surprised when there was very little fighting in the area coordinates they had been given though, upon a second thought about it, the entrance was supposed to be hidden and secret. However, Ressiker had been correct; the Imperials were barricading the entrance. "Nadia, we're going to bail. Ready? Now!"

They both leaped and rolled while the swoop bike careened right into the barricade. Des had expected to smash a hole that they could exploit. What surprised him was how the bike exploded into rubble, taking out several of the Imperial soldiers and a large section of the barricade as well. Before the remaining Imperial soldiers could recover, Des and Nadia had cleaved their way through quickly and dashed into the bunker.

The next uncounted hours of the two Jedis' lives were hard and desperate. As soon as they had made it into the bunker, alarms were blaring. The majority of the fight, they were back to back, sending wave after wave of telekinetic energy at their enemies, blasting them back down corridors, smashing them into walls and machinery and leveling hastily constructed barricades. Somewhere in the midst of the fight, Nedeser and Nadia realized that there had been a noticeable shift in their fighting. It was no longer two individuals fighting separately. Somehow, through the force, they had bonded and melded their minds so that it was as if one mind perfectly synchronized and controlled the two bodies. As one, they would thrust out Nedeser's hand, blasting back squads of war droids and soldiers. As one, they would sweep aside a Sith Warrior or Inquisitor with Nadia's green lightsaber. At one point, when they were in a massive assembly room, they thrust out Nadia's hand towards a dozen war droids and the droids exploded. Even at her strongest, Nadia was not yet powerful enough to be able to expend that much energy without becoming exhausted. Yet, she felt the draw not only from her power but from Nedeser's vast reserves of endurance.

Nedeser noticed all this as well. Forcing himself file away the discovery for later, he focused on a group of lightsaber wielding opponents in mixed Republic officers uniforms and combat armor. Their glowing eyes made it clear - they were Children of the Emperor. Nedeser felt a tinge of regret and he and Nadia swept into their midst, a feeling mirrored by his apprentice's gentle mind. However, he could not afford to use his shielding technique to try and fight off the Sith personality from the Republic ones. They were forced to cut down the Children of the Emperor, not having time to try and convince them to surrender. From the moment they had entered, they had been surrounded by soldiers, war droids and Sith.

They had also found that this new bond also had downside. When a blaster bolt grazed Nedeser's left shoulder, burning the skin slightly, Nadia hissed in pain. Every worry, every hope, everything was laid bare and even the pain and fatigue could be felt by both. Yet, they both found strength, solace and courage in the mind of the other.

Slowly and cautiously, they headed to the main control center of the bunker. With the force, Nedeser wrenched the blast door open, no longer having the energy or the mood for subtlety. Inside were three persons at one of the consoles. All three were very richly dressed and Nedeser and Nadia knew that they must be Corellian officials. As soon as the Jedi strode through the door, their heads high and backs straight despite several minor injuries and their aching muscles. One of the three officials whined to the other, "You promised us this place was impenetrable, Nadien!"

"A temporary set back. He's a Jedi. I'm sure he can be reasoned with."

Nedeser's face was hard. "I recognize your face. You were on the recording we took from the Javelin. You negotiated with the First Son."

Nadien looked highly affronted and Nadia would have found it highly amusing if the situation were different. "That was a private communication!"

The official who had first spoken looked defiant as he said, "If you've come to accuse us of 'selling Corellia to the Empire', save your breath."

The third official, who had, as of yet, not spoken, lifted a hand and said, "Jedi, please understand. We can all agree these consequences are unfortunate. But some of us were buying time. The Empire's offer was a chance to save Corellia and her people. And then those same people nearly ruin everything by fighting back."

Nedeser actually wanted to laugh. "Were you raised on Corellia? You sold their homeworld to the enemy? What exactly did you expect to happen?"

One of the other two looked exasperated. "Why can nobody understand? Profit and security against inevitable annihilation; it just makes sense. I don't have to bargain with you. We'll stay right here until the Empire sends reinforcements."

Suddenly, the third official started to laugh. "Reinforcements!" he laughed, "Oh, I'm sorry."

Both Nadia and Nedeser noticed the subtle shift in attitude of the man. Nedeser understood immediately. "You're not at all what you appear, are you?" he asked grimly. The 'official's' smile was terrible as he asked, "Does it shine through this feeble shell?"

Extending his hand, he blasted one of the officials with force lightning and sending him smashing against a side wall. The other backed away, cowering. "No! You... you're one of them!"

The Child of the Emperor was still grinning like a demented fool. "The Emperor's words make everything clear, Jedi. The First Son will prevail and you will die."

The Jedi ignited their weapons once again, ready for their umpteenth dual of that day. Their opponent shrieked with terrible laughter as he leaped at them with his own weapon ignited. Des and Nadia were exhausted and their opponent was fresh. Even so, they would not be stopped. The Child of the Emperor found that he seemed to be fighting a single being. They worked with the synchronization of a single organism. Nadia leaped and flitted about, avoiding the main attacks and distracting the Sith while Nedeser fully engaged him. After the most intense fight of that day, Nadia slashed a cut down the Sith's back and Des beheaded him cleanly. With a sigh, he nearly collapsed. Nadia was much better but she still managed to help him keep his footing. Calling on the force, yet again, to revitalize his body, Nedeser thanked her and turned to the last living Corellian official - Nadien. They didn't even have to speak. The man understood.

It was another hour before Republic forces arrived. The groups led by Felix and Zenith came in and took control. Nadia and Nedeser were both rocking on their feet in an attempt to stay awake when everyone was finally gathered. Nadien stood their awkwardly as well. At first, there was silence. This recent victory had come at a very heavy cost. Finally, the Esh-Kha spoke in his odd language. "Blades have fallen, blood is staunched. It is twilight and silence here for now."

Suddenly, as if the idea had just occurred to him, Naiden began to panic. "Councilor Saiak was one of the Children? What if I am too? What if I'm about to become a Sith puppet?"

Nedeser was a man with a very long temper. He could put up with hours of battle, simpering politicians, whining lackeys and long winded blowhards. However, he was exhausted and in pain and had a very difficult time not snapping at the pathetic official. Instead of demanding if the man cared about anything but himself, he said in a voice of obviously forced calm, "Once I stop the First Son from shielding his brothers and sisters, the Children will be revealed."

"The First Son? You can stop him and then I'll be fine, right? I'll be safe?"

Nedeser nodded. Nadien looked convinced and said, "There is a hatch that leads to caves beneath Coronet City. The First Son went there, to our last sanctuary."

Silence followed. This was it. They had cornered the First Son. Nedeser looked that snivelling man right in the eye and commanded. "Show me."

Minutes later, the crew of the _Defender_ stared at the hatch. It looked so simple, just another access hatch. But Nedeser and Nadia could feel the dark power of the individual, or just as likely individuals, beneath them. "It's time to finish this;" said Des grimly and he reached for the hatch. "No."

Nedeser turned to see Tharan Cedrax standing there. "What?"

"I said 'no'." said the professor. "Master Jedi, you are both dead on your feet, haven't had a good meal since breakfast and have injuries. Now you might be powerful Jedi but even you can push your bodies too far. This is what is going to happen: we are going to bring a pair of cots right here and I am going to administer kolto treatments to those injuries. You are both going to eat a light meal and get some fluids in your systems. Then, you are both going into one of those fascinating and inexplicably effective healing trances for at least a couple hours. Any questions?"

Nedeser laughed tired and said, "Yes, can our dinner be something other than ration bars?"

Relieved that the Jedi Master wasn't arguing, Tharan laughed and said, "We'll see what we can do."

 **Updated 12.07.2017**


	6. Chapter 6: Hand in Hand, Mind in Mind

Nedeser woke with Nadia laying against his chest. He looked down at her and began to think of compelling arguments to convince her to allow him to go and face the First Son alone. As he contemplated it, she began to stir, making soft sighing, moaning noises before looking up into his eyes. "No." she said simply. There was no defiance, anger, angst, hurt or frustration in her voice - just calm and firm determination. Nedeser's eyes widened and he asked, "How did you know?"

"I could hear your thoughts. You were projecting to me. There is no way I am letting you go alone. You'll need my help and you know it."

Des groaned and held her to him. "I just want to know that you're safe."

Nadia smiled and kissed his chest. "I know but I need to know that you're safe too and the only way I can do that is to be with you. You are about to face the most powerful Dark Lord of the Sith in the Empire, with the exception, perhaps of the Emperor himself a one or two members of the Dark Council. How can I let you face him alone? How could I forgive myself for that?"

Des had no answer. Instead, his kissed her and said, "We need to get up and eat a light meal and then it's time to go down to where the First Son is hiding."

Nadia nodded firmly and they stood. Pulling on boots, tunics and cloaks, they tried not to gaze too intently at one another. But Des and Nadia could hear or perhaps sense the other's thoughts and those thoughts were surprisingly calm. All that Nadia thought about was that she would be with Des through the peaceful times filled with love making, sweet words and time spent with wonderful friends and would just as surely be through the chaotic times when they knew that there was conflict even of they didn't know when and with who. Those thoughts encouraged Des even as they caused him to fear for her.

Nadia heard that fear from Nedeser - fear that he would be insufficient for the battle, fear that he had not trained Nadia well enough to survive if he died and fear that all the faith that the Republic, the Jedi Council and the Rift Alliance had placed in him was all horribly misplaced and that he would fail them all. Tears filled the young woman's eyes and she threw her arms around his shoulders and tried to surround his force presents with all of her love and confidence in him. She urged him forward and promised that she would be there to defend and protect him and to strengthen and support him.

Des was taken aback by her sudden embrace. Whatever this bond was between them, he was obviously broadcasting as much as she was. For several long minutes, they held one another before Des rumbled, "We need to end this."

Nadia nodded and pulled away. Blue eyes met blue eyes and Nedeser Thul smiled. "Come along, Padawan; let's see how well you have learned your lessons."

Nadia smiled and said, "I am confident that I have learned them well, Master."

Side by side, they gazed at the trap door that lead to the catacombs. Wordlessly, Des dropped down to the cavern floor below. With the flick of his mind, he signal Nadia that all was clear and she leaped down behind him. They unclipped their weapons and ignited them. Emerald green and silver-white illuminated the tunnel before them. Ahead, a few dozen meters, they saw an opening that went into a cavern. After quick glance at one another, they went in and directly to the center of the cavern. There, they noticed figures moving in and out of the eerie lightsaber light and froze before Nadia placed her back to Nedeser's and readied herself. Suddenly, the snap his of another lightsaber was heard. There was another and another until a dozen lightsabers surrounded them, wielded by beings in the garb of soldiers, diplomats, street urchins, Jedi and Sith. They were a dozen Children of the Emperor, hidden within the ranks and hierarchy of both the Republic and the Empire for uncounted years. They were here now as the bodyguards of their eldest sibling.

Nedeser contemplated shielding them all but he knew that he was not powerful enough for that. He had done it before but by the time that adventure was over and he finally faced the Plague Master, he was exhausted and required days in a force trance to recover. No, this time, Nedeser knew that he could not save them, not this close to the First Son and not since he himself was there to stop the First Son.

Nadia was confident in her abilities and those of her master but a dozen Sith Lords were nothing to face with overconfidence. Suddenly, she felt something within her master, an aura of power that must have been well hidden for her not too sense it, especially with their new bond. It swelled and swelled until to sense her master's force presence was to be in the presents of blinding, wonderful light. As bright and wonderful as it was to her, she could tell that the Children of the Emperor recoiled and scowled. This light was seeking out and destroying darkness with the ferocity of a super nova. Nadia folded her own mind into the light and felt her master's smile. In her mind, she heard his gentle, melodious voice speak. _You will lend me your strength and skill and I will lend you mine. With one mind, we will fight and we will win. Stay with me, my love._

Their minds joined and Nadia saw herself through her master's eyes. Her confidence in her own abilities soared as she saw herself how he saw her, a wonderful, powerful young woman, filled with wisdom beyond her years and compassion beyond what one who had suffered what she had suffered could be expected to see. With a grim smile shared between them, they turned outward to face the enemy.

When the entire crisis was over, a small part of Nadia wished their was a holo-recording of the events to follow because she could never remember it with clarity. What she did remember was the flashing of lightsabers, the clash and crack of colliding energy blades and feats with the force accomplished by herself and her master that would have been impossible had they not been linked. They were too fast for the Children of the Sith, their attacks too skilled and their power too great. Waves of telekinetic energy swept several back before shattering the ground beneath several more, causing them to stumble. With a broad sweep, Des knocked aside a half a dozen blades, allowing Nadia to roll forward and cut down two. Force lightning was a useless if colorful gesture easy blocked and absorbed by a force shield that Nedeser threw up before being returned from his hand, driving their opponents back. Nadia shattered stalactites and stalagmites, peppering the enemy with shards of stone before following up with furious and elegant attacks with her lightsaber. Neither of them knew how long the battle was but when the last body slumped to the floor, they were both surprised that they were barely weary. The strength and invigoration that they experience from the shared bond was so empowering. Nadia strode over to her master and took his hand. With lightsabers still ignited, the two Jedi strode hand in hand, mind in mind, forward into the darkness towards the vast nexus of power that awaited them.

As they entered the deepest cavern, they saw him there. It was Master Syo Bakarn and it was the First Son, sitting on the ground, legs crossed in meditation. "I applaud you, Jedi. Your fortitude and courage are remarkable. No one has ever proved themselves to me."

Nedeser did not speak to the First Son. He spoke instead to Syo Bakarn. "You will be free, Master. I promise. Just hold on."

With an amused chuckle, the Sith Lord said, "Please, Jedi. Syo has found his proper place. He doesn't have your strength, I'm afraid."

Slowly, he turned to face them and placed his hands behind his back. "Learning the shielding technique was just more evidence of your fascinating mind. But then, you chose to save Lord Vivicar, risking your own life. Intriguing."

Des frowned. "What 'intrigued' you?"

The First Son gave a cold, calculating smile. "You showed that you were willing to lose. I underestimated how powerful your trials would make you. But this sudden calculation? Not like you at all."

As if still calculating him, the First Son gazed at Nedeser. Finally, he said, "You should never have come here without your army's protection. Losing you will shatter the Rift Alliance. The Republic will collapse. Fear, not war, will be the Republic's end. They will know the Children remain, shielded by my will and that their last hope is dead."

Nadia, still powerfully attached and within her master's mind, felt his smile as much as she saw it. It wasn't cold, or confident but it was sure. "The Rift Alliance is more than one person and the Republic is greater still."

The First Son burst into loud, derisive laughter. "Even now, you cling to your conviction. Such a mind - you would have been unstoppable as one of us. But it's too late."

The Sith Lord's eyes blazed red. "I cannot allow you to live."

He strode forward and, with a flash of red light, disappeared. Nadia and Nedeser were instantly back to back, watching the shadows carefully. Suddenly, the First Son appeared and thrust forth his hand. Both of them flew back, twisted in the air and landed on their feet. He was gone again, only to reappear and fire blasts of force lightning. They both fell with cries. As they lay there, trembling, Des rose to his knees and roared. With a flash of light, the First Son was illuminated and Des rolled over to lift Nadia to her feet. Side by side and filled with the amplification of one another's strengths, they faced their great enemy. A smile played across the First Son's face, as if he was pleased by the challenge. In one smooth motion, he drew his lightsaber and attacked.

Even together, two Jedi with one mind and one will, they were pressed hard. The First Son fought with the power greater than the most powerful Sith Lord Nedeser and Nadia had faced but on top of that, the prodigious power of Master Syo Bakarn was also at his disposal. With all the power and ferocity of hate and fury itself the First Son bent on his will - on killing Nadia. Ruthless and brilliant, the First Son knew that if he continuously put pressure on the weaker link of the duo, knowing that he would force Nedeser to be on the constant defensive as he tried to keep Nadia alive. Laughing as he sent a torrent of force lighting towards her, forcing Nedeser to throw up a shield to defend her, the First Son said, "You know, Master Bakarn was suspicious of you, Barsen'thor. He feared and still fears that you are too close to your padawan. Whether that is true or not, she is clearly your greatest weakness. You cannot defend her and attack me at the same time."

Within the privacy of their minds, Nadia said, _He's right, Des. Attack him. Stop worrying about me and attack him. I can hold him off long enough for you to show him that this tactic isn't an option._

Nedeser's mind ached with worry. _Trust me, my love. I can hold. You taught me how too, remember? You know I can do this because you taught me how. Don't just believe in me; believe in your own skill as a teacher._

Des complied all at once. Instead of another stream of force lightning that flashed towards Nadia, Des focused his power on the attacker. With a massive wave of telekinetic energy, the First Son flew back with a surprised yell. Of course, he flipped in the air and landed on his feet with ease. But Des was there, attacking viciously with both the force and his lightsaber, not allowing the Sith Lord to regain momentum or control of the fight. Nadia was there too, attacking any and every opening that presented itself. Try as he might, the First Son did not have the opportunity to attack Nadia so, with a snarl of frustration, he brought all his considerable power against Nedeser Thul. If two celestial beings from an ancient time before ancient time had clashed and battled with the forces of nature, it could hardly have been more fierce or destructive than this battle. The cavern shook, straining against the durasteel braces that held it up. Lightning flashed and crackled back and forth and waves of telekinetic energy powerful enough to level buildings rushed back and forth. Nadia used her powers to shatter areas of the floor beneath the First Son's feet since his lightsaber and body were well guarded but it seemed as though he could anticipate that and leaped clear of the area. At first, it seemed as though the raw power, skill and ferocity of the First Son would overcome them. But then, suddenly, just as Nadia was about to be cloven from shoulder to hip by a block there was no way she could intercept and no way that Des could stop, the First Son's eyes twitched and he hesitated. Throughout the fight, it began to become more and more frequent that a killing blow would be stopped by inexplicable hesitation. The Sith Lord's rage grew and finally, after being thwarted from victory yet again, he drove them back with a dark side powered scream of rage. "Enough!"

Raising his hands, he focused all his power on bringing down the very stone of the catacombs. Des would not allow that. With all the power he could exert, he surrounded the First Son in a cocoon that his power could not get out of. Confused, he left himself open to an attack and Nadia flew in, delivering a heavy, force powered kick to his sternum that send him crashing into the wall. To follow up, Des gripped him and slammed him against the ceiling before allowing him to fall. Before he could stop his fall, Nadia gripped him and slammed him down hard, pinning him in place. Her face looked terrifying and hard with it's white and black paint. The First Son's lightsaber flew to Nedeser's hand. "Let him up;" he commanded calmly and Nadia did so. With a groan, the First Son rose to his knees and looked up, blood streaming from cuts on his face and head. In a voice filled with pain, he asked, "Tell me why, Jedi. I stand unique among all other men in the galaxy. Why must I be destroyed?"

Nedeser knelt down before him and Nadia stood over him, ready to leap to his defense. "There is more to you than just the First Son of the Emperor. That part, I must save."

"Gone;" insisted the First Son but his face was strained. "He is... is- uhh!"

Nedeser grabbed his shoulders and looked into his eyes. "NOW, Master Syo, while he's weak, take control and unmask the other Children."

The First Son trembled and thrashed. "I will not allow you too..." but suddenly, he interrupted himself and the voice was that of Master Syo Bakarn. "I am the one who will not allow this, First Son. I know who I am. I am Jedi Master Syo Bakarn, I am a Jedi Master, and you have lost!"

With a flash of blinding light, the Jedi Master stood and the unifying force blazed through him. Suddenly, breathing heavily, Master Syo said, "It... it is done. The shield is broken. The Children's last protection is gone."

Nedeser placed a hand on Syo's shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly. "You're safe. Your nightmare is over."

But Master Syo smiled sadly and said, "No, it isn't; he's still here, locked away but awake, like your Esh-Kha."

Suddenly, tears filled the Master's eyes and he bowed his head. "I never suspected;" he said so quietly that they almost never heard. "How many died because I never suspected?"

Nadia, tears shining in her own eyes and not sure what else to do, stepped forward and hugged the man. "You can't forget all the good that you've done as a Jedi," insisted Des, who gripped the master's shoulder, "despite the darkness within you."

"He's right, Master." said Nadia, squeezing him again. Silence followed before Syo returned Nadia's hug briefly before gently separating from her. "The First Son will never be free of my control again. I'll see to it with the council's help - and forgiveness."

Nedeser smiled and said, "I will always be here if you need me, Master Syo."

With a fond and proud smile, Syo placed his hands behind him back. "I see there is little more than I can teach you."

Sighing, he bowed his head and rubbed his temples. "I should stay here to recover away from... from everyone. And thank you, Nedeser, for fighting when I could not."

Nedeser was silent, only nodding his head. Reaching forward and mimicking the motion of his former student, Master Syo squeezed Nedeser's shoulder. "You should go, my friend. Corellia and your Republic are waiting for you."

Nedeser nodded and bowed. Nadia could not resist giving Master Syo one more hug before they both turned and strode towards the cavern entrance. "Nedeser Thul;" called Master Syo. They bother turned. "Your bond with your padawan is a greater strength than you know. Protect one another and you will never fall into darkness, despite the passion and love between you."

They both blushed and smiled, taking the master's words as his blessing. "Thank you, Master Syo." said Nedeser as he took Nadia's hand boldly. With a knowing, fond smile, Syo bowed his head and turned away, kneeling down to meditate. The picture in the cavern was eerily similar to that which had greeted them upon entering. Side by side, hand in hand and mind in mind, they left the caverns.

 **Updated 12.07.2017**


	7. Chapter 7: Aftermath

**Warning: Sexual Content Ahead. Watch for warning to avoid.**

They were exhausted when they made it home to their beloved _Defender._ All that Des and Nadia wanted to do was take a quick shower, strip out of their torn and ragged robes, snuggle under the blankets and go to sleep. Perhaps healing trances wouldn't be a bad idea either since they both had numerous minor injuries. However, rest, bathing and healing would have to wait. They were duty bound to report to the Jedi Council and the leadership of the Rift Alliance before any rest would be had.

With a tired sigh, Nedeser staggered to the holo-coms unit and punched in the frequency. It was moments before Jedi Grand Master Satele Shan materialized in a blue fuzzy hologram. Moments after that, a number of miniature holograms appeared as well and the Rift Alliance was holographically assembled. Master Satele spoke first. "There's been much turbulence in the force."

Alauni, the representative of Saleucami, looked relieved despite her attempts to stay stoic. "It's... I'm glad to see you alive, Jedi. We all are!"

Master Kaedan suddenly appeared beside Master Satele and said, "After the First Son's shield collapsed, we suddenly felt every Child of the Emperor. Their darkness screams at us and they can never hide again."

Master Satele stroked her smooth chin and said, "Yet, I didn't sense the First Son's death. Strange."

Des lifted a hand, taking the opportunity to speak. "It wasn't necessary to kill him. Master Syo broke the shield and is returned to us."

Master Kaeden's eyes widened. "You overcame the will power of the First Son of the Emperor?"

"Incredible;" murmured the Grand Master. "If Syo is alive, we must bring him home to Tython immediately."

"Are you sure that's wise, Satele?"

Des nodded his head firmly. "Syo faces a lifetime of keeping the First Son at bay and coming to terms with himself. He needs you."

"He will have all the support we can offer." assured Master Satele. The image of Gaden Ko cleared his throat and all turned to the young Voss. "The Children of the Emperor are fleeing. The Imperials are leaderless."

President Tai Cordon of Balmorra looked confident, standing with his hands clasped firmly behind his back as he announced, "Imperial forces in Capital Square are in rout. The Republic still has a fight but with the Guardian Holds recaptured, we have an unshakable foothold."

Des nodded, a small smile of satisfaction on his handsome face. "It will be years before the Empire can muster an assault like this again."

"And without the Children of the Emperor, we shall have a chance to rebuild without fear;" said Master Satele. Pride was beginning to shine in her eyes - pride for her Jedi and their accomplishments. Shuuru, the Selkath representative of Manaan leaned back in the chair he was sitting in. "We've worked for this for so long, it barely seems real."

Des nodded but suddenly, a wave of exhaustion overwhelmed him and he staggered. Nadia managed to catch him. Taking pity on them both, Master Satele smiled. "Return to Coruscant when you can. It has become necessary to elect a new Supreme Chancellor and she will want to recognize all that you have done."

Nedeser gave a very shallow bow to avoid falling over and taking his much smaller padawan with him. The connection was cut and Nedeser sighed. "I thought that would never end. Come on. Let's get cleaned up and then I'm putting both in a healing trance for two or three hours."

Felix Iresso called after them. "Should I set course for Coruscant?"

"No. Shut everything down but the life support and environmental controls and go to bed. I know that's you're all tired too. Contact the Rift Alliance and tell them we are going to take the next eight to ten hours to recover before we have to deal with Coruscant politics."

"They're going to have questions, Master Jedi. What should the Alliance forces do down on the planet?"

That forced Des to pause. Just then, the comms unit chimed and he groaned. Looking at Nadia, he said, "Go on, Nadia. I'll be down shortly."

His padawan shook her head. "If it's the Rift Alliance leadership, I should be part of the conversation."

Des was about to object but he knew she was right and was proud of her for taking the responsibility in her obvious state of exhaustion. Within moments, the members of the Rift Alliance were back. "What is our move now, Master Jedi? Are we going to Coruscant?" asked Alauni, sitting with her legs crossed elegantly. Des clapped his hands behind his back. "We will be staying put for eight to ten hours. That will give us some time to refresh ourselves before we have to begin preparing for Coruscant politics. Our military forces will be left on the planet below to help with continuing battle and with rebuilding. Tai, I think it would be best if you are our representative to the locals since you can do so from Balmorra. The military leadership of our forces will look to you. The rest of us are going to be busy playing politics with a new Supreme Chancellor. Any thoughts, senators?"

None were forthcoming. "Excellent. Get some rest my friends. It has been well earned."

One by one, the communications cut off. Des turned to leave again when the voice of Alauni said behind him, "Master Thul;"

He turned, maintaining a face of serenity as he said, "How may I help you, Senator Alauni?"

"I want to extend an invitation to you to come aboard the cruiser I am on to relax and perhaps take a meal. It would be very refreshing and pleasant to be able to get to know you in... a less formal manner."

Nedeser Thul's face slackened for a fraction of a second before he managed a smile and said, "I appreciate the offer, Senator but I do not believe that would be appropriate. If the other members of the Rift Alliance heard, I fear they would feel slighted unless I did the same with them."

A coy smile played across her lips. "I was hoping it would be a rather clandestine affair. None of the others need to know, save, of course, for your padawan but I trust in Nadia's discretion."

Never had Nedeser felt so beset. Sweat began to form on his forehead and his heart began to pound. Clearing his throat, he replied evenly, "Again, I appreciate the offer but I am afraid I still must decline. Perhaps when we get to Coruscant, we can get together and get to know one another better in a less formal setting."

Alauni actually chuckled and said bluntly, "Master Jedi, I want the _pleasure_ of your company and am offering you _pleasure_ of mine. Do you understand?"

It dawned on his then and he cursed his tired wits. "I do and I'm afraid I still must decline. It is not permitted for a Jedi to give in to ones passions, emotions in such a way. I am flattered, honored and very appreciative of the offer and I hope that you won't take it as a personal slight. Were I not a Jedi," _and were I not already spoken for,_ he included to Nadia over their mental bond, "I would be happy to take you up on that offer."

Alauni sighed and said, "I appreciate your honesty, Master Jedi. I do not resent you though I must admit that I am disappointed. Well, I suppose I should let you get to your rest and recommend seeking medical attention as well. Take care."

"And you as well, Senator;" said Des with a bow. Turning, he saw Nadia in the doorway, smiling at him. Wordlessly, she took his hand and led him to their unofficial quarters. They both showered quickly and removed their tattered robes and garments before collapsing onto the bed and snuggling up together under the blankets. Wordlessly, Des put them both in healing trances and set them to come out of them in several hours. Sighs of contentment escaped his padawan as they drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Nedeser woke and yawned as the warm body began to stir against him. As his eyes cleared and came into focus, he saw an absolutely beautiful smiling face, free of any bruises or blemishes. "It just hit me, Des;" she murmured, taking one of his hands beneath the blankets. "What's that, my love?"

"You did it. You won on Corellia and saved Syo from the First Son. Nedeser, we won!"

Slowly, that thought sunk in and a broad smile worked its way across the Jedi Master's face as well. "I was too tired to realize earlier. You're right. A massive blow was struck for the Republic against the Empire."

"And it was all because of you!" she said with a smile of pride and love and reverence. Nedeser wrapped her in his arms and kissed her temple before murmuring, "No, Nadia, it wasn't only because of me. Even at the level of leadership and command, I was just one. So many others are also part of our victory. Syo freed himself, _we_ , you and I, weakened the First Son. I was only a small percentage of this battle."

Nadia wriggled free and rolled him onto his back, straddling his hips with a smile on her lips and desire in her blue eyes. "Of course you are correct but I argue that, considering this entire campaign, you are the most important percentage. None of this would have happened if it wasn't for you. Now stop arguing with me. I want to celebrate with you before we go and get the delegates to Coruscant."

Brawny arms shot up and wrapped around her torso and yanked her against him, kissing he passionately and running his large hands up and down her back. After quite a few very heated kisses and moans, Nadia sat up and reached for the hem of her thin undershirt.

* * *

 **Warning: Sexual Content Ahead**

Des brushed her hands aside and said, "Allow me. I love removing your clothes for you."

Nadia smiled as his large hands worked there way under her shirt before brushing them upwards along her sides and ribs before lifting it off of her. Beneath it, she wore a compression bra. It followed quickly after and she was forced to roll over and remove the athletic shorts she was wearing. Des was already bare chested and only wore his tight undershorts anyway so it was the work of a moment before she had them off of him. Wanting nothing more than as much skin to skin contact as possible, Nadia laid down in his arms and kissed him passionately. One hand rested on his chest while the other worked through his shaggy blond hair. Des was a little more active with his hands, running hands up and down her back from her shoulders to her firm, round rear, squeezing her cheeks fondly and causing her to giggle against his lips. It wasn't long before they both wanted and needed more. Pulling away, she began to shimmy backwards down his body. "Nadia, wait! While I appreciate it when you do that, I want this to be more mutual, not just you shorting my brains out that way."

Nadia's head popped up and said, "Really? Hmmm... well then let's try something we've never done before. Lay still, I don't want to knee you in the head."

"Wait;" said Des, suddenly uncertain, "what are you about to do?"

was crawling up towards his and said, "I read about this while waiting for you after you rescued me from the pod. Now don't judge me because I read trashy holo-novels but I've wanted to try is ever since."

When she was in her final position, her knees were on either side of his head and he was looking up at her womanhood while she was leaning forward, one hand already around wrapped around his thick shaft. Des didn't need to ask what he was supposed to do but this was most definitely a first for him. "So um..." and he placed his hands on her rear end. "...how... what do I... Okay, so I've never done this before and while I get the concept, I'm not so sure on the application."

Nadia giggled and said, "Well, you've used your silver tongue to work disagreements out. Now, you can use it to work my body. Whatever you'd work with your fingers, now use your tongue."

"Um..."

"Look, just get started and I'll talk you through it."

Des gave a small shrug and used his fingers to spread her aroused lower lips and licked the tiny bud. The reaction was instant and most gratifying. "Woah!" she gasped. "Great start! But sharpen your tongue and try- AH!"

She gave a tiny shriek of pleasure. "Yes! Just like that but don't only focus on my clit. The entire area is pretty sense- AH!"

Deciding that he had gotten the idea, Des began to attend to her, laving her seem from top to bottom and thrusting his tongue into her as hard and far and fast as he could before focusing quite a bit of attention on her clit. At first, Nadia had forgotten what she had intended to do, getting lost in the pleasurable sensation Des was giving to her. But then she remembered she was supposed to be pleasuring him too. Between moans, she slipped her mouth over his large rod and began to suck and work herself up and down his increasingly throbbing shaft. Des began to groan and growl with pleasure and redoubled his attack on her womanhood.

At some point during the waves of pleasure and bliss and gasping, Nadia realized that they were competing, trying bring the other blissful completion first. Realizing this, Nadia also came to the conclusion that she was about to lose. The things that Des was doing to her was absolutely blowing her mind. To try and even the odds, Nadia massaged his testicles and squeezed them firmly, yet gently. It seemed to help because he bucked and groaned. Nadia thought she may have gained the upper hand until she felt two thick fingers enter her body and begin to introduce her to even greater levels of pleasure. When he continued to flick, nudge and tease her clit with his tongue, she realized that she was moment away from losing it. Just as she felt herself plummeting into a blissful, glorious climax, she also felt Des's manhood began to pulse and thick, intense blasts of his essence began fill her mouth. It was erotic and intimate and only made the bliss she was feeling more intense.

Des's mind was already fuzzy as he fell back against the pillow with a pleasured groan. Slowly, Nadia turned around and snuggled into him, giggling and grinning at him. "If they ever heard about this back home, they would be shocked and appalled."

"Just think if the Jedi Council knew;" muttered Nedeser. Nadia shushed him and snuggled into his chest. For almost an hour, they lay there and just talked, not discussing anything horribly important. However, it wasn't long before Nadia decided that she wasn't quite done celebrating yet. Wriggling forward, she began to kiss his chin, his jawbone, his neck and his ears. Des rumbled with pleasure as his hands began to run over her silky smooth skin. His manhood was already twitching when she straddled his hips and kissed his lips. Her tongue was inside his mouth more than outside. Using his hands, he pushed himself and her up and let her wrap her arms around his neck and pull him close. With a grin, Des separated and kissed his way down her neck and chest. "Mmm... I was hoping we'd get to this."

She gasped and giggle and whimpered as his mouth formed a seal on her nipple while his hands massaged and kneaded her breasts. "That's right, keep playing with my..." Des stopped and glared at her, blushing deeply. Nadia just winked and said, "You like it and you know it. Besides, no one else can hear us and no one else knows so you can just go ahead and suck my tits."

Still blushing and still glaring, he did just that. Nadia sighed again and enjoyed the wonderful, lovely sensations that went to her core from his attention to her breast. "Hold on tight and keep doing what you're doing;" she murmured, using one arm to hug his face to her breasts. "I'm just going to sit up slightly and reach down here..."

Des jerked slightly as she found his quickly hardening manhood and began to stroke it while cooing breathlessly. "Aww! Looks like you need a little more encouragement. There you go, _Master._ That's what I want. Get your cock nice and hard."

The Jedi Master groaned at her heated words which also made her giggle and say, "I love it how you react when I talk dirty to you. Hmmm... UH!"

She slid down his manhood which was now quite hard again and filled her up quite nicely. Des groaned against her breasts and said, "Oh, that's what I've been waiting for."

His hands moved to her hips to help propel her up and down but Nadia said, "Oh no, _Master!_ You're the great hero here! Lay back and let me take care of you. I'm going to give you a hero's treatment."

Slowly, she pulled away from him and straightened completely. Nadia could have a shy smile or a happy smile or a pleasant smile. The only words that could describe her current smile was seductive and salacious. Her blue eyes were flickering with the fire of absolute desire as she levered herself up and dropped back down, moaning with pleasure. Her pace was fast enough not to tease Nedeser but not so fast that it went to quickly. Des ran his hands affectionately up and down her smooth, firm thighs which he knew she enjoyed.

With a moan, she leaned forward and placed her hands on his shoulders, kneading the hard muscles with her hands. "I love your muscles, Des. You stay in such good shape and I love it."

With a smile, she leaned down and began kissing and licking across his muscular chest and shoulders. Des closed his eyes and basked, trying as hard as he could not to grab her and thrust into her with all his might. After indulging, she began to ride him again, going a little faster than she had before, one hand resting on his chest. He opened his eyes and Nadia's head was leaning back, her other hand in her hair as she leaned back. It was a beautiful sight.

With a growl, Des flipped them both over, getting a soft squeak out of Nadia as he did. Before she could protest, Nedeser was kissing her slender neck, focusing along her pulsing vein and nibbling across her collar bones. "Des!" she gasped, gripping his shoulders. "I'm supposed to be treating you like a hero. Why..." she was interrupted by her own moan as he nipped at her breasts again. "Why..." she tried again but he slid himself back into her, causing another gasping moan to tear from her throat. He finally stopped and asked, "Why what?"

Nadia had forgotten her original question and substituted it with, "Why aren't you making love to me? Move or something, Des!"

Des kissed her again and began to thrust into her, bringing out the delicious moans he so enjoyed to draw from her. "Yup! Yes! Just like that! Oh stars!"

Whenever she moaned or spoke, it drove him to intensify his movements and it wasn't long before the pressure built. "Des!" she said. "Oh Des, I'm going to cum!"

Those words accelerated the coming of his impending orgasm and he re-angled his movement. Nadia screamed with delight and gripped his arms, her nails digging slightly into them. It was mere moments before her body began to jerk somewhat and she bit down on a blanket, screaming into it as she came hard. Seeing the love of his love enthralled in so much pleasure caused Nedeser to become undone. Burying his head in the crook of her neck and shoulder, he groaned in pleasure and placed feather light kisses up and down her neck and shoulder. When they had finally finished twitching and spasming, Des lifted Nadia, cradling her to his chest and laid down on his back, holder her there, lying atop his chest. Filled with love and happiness and satisfaction, they drifted off to sleep again.

 **Mature Content Ends Here**

* * *

Nadia had never been to Coruscant. It was a whole new experience for her. Side by side, she and her master strode through the space port towards the air taxi pad. Her mouth was hanging open adorably as she looked all around her. Nedeser chuckled and said, "We can probably do some site seeing later, if you'd like. I have an apartment here too though not a lot of people know about it."

Nadia gave him a mischievous grin. "Oh, that sounds like fun. We should stay there for a night or two."

Her reaction to the Senate building was even more dramatic. "Is that the Jedi temple?" she asked. Des's countenance fell slightly and he shook his head, taking her arm and leading her over to a railing and pointing out across the city-scape. Far in the distance was a large flat topped pyramid with five spires rising from the top. Three of the spires were broken off at various heights. The site made Nadia quite sad. "How?" she whispered.

"During the last Great Galactic War, the Empire distracted both the Jedi Order and the Republic by claiming that they wanted to enter into peace negotiations. While those negotiations were going on, the Empire attacked the temple with a shuttle full of Sith Warriors and Imperial Special Forces. They sacked the temple and destroyed a massive amount of Coruscant with a fleet as well. We're still only beginning to rebuild."

Nadia nodded slowly. With a small smile, Nedeser angled them both back towards the Senate Tower. "That is where the Galactic Senate discusses its policy. I imagine you'll see quite a bit of the inside of it when this war ends. Now come on. It wouldn't do to keep the new Supreme Chancellor waiting."

* * *

Supreme Chancellor Leontyne Saresh, former governor of the Taris colonies, smiled warmly as the Jedi strode in. "It is a pleasure and an honor to finally meet two of our greatest heroes. Thank you for coming. I am sure you are eager to get back to Corellia and continue assisting with the rebuilding efforts but I had to take this opportunity to rebuild some of the Republic's faith in its military and in the Jedi Order. The past few years have not been easy."

Nedeser bowed and said, "I understand all too well, Chancellor. This is my Padawan Nadia Grell."

Chancellor Saresh smiled and took Nadia's proffered hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Senator Grell. Welcome to the heart of the Republic."

Nadia smiled brightly and beautifully. "Thank you, Chancellor. It is a privilege."

After a little more small talk, Chancellor Saresh grew slightly more serious. "Tomorrow, a special session of the Galactic Senate. I want you to be there for it. We would have liked others to have joined you but everyone else we invited is either still fighting or refused to show up while so much work needed to be done."

Having and inkling of whom she was speaking of, Des had to suppress a smile. "Well I'm sure they will show up for the victory celebration - assuming there is one in the works."

"There is," confirmed Chancellor Saresh. "But not until the rebuilding of Corellia is quite underway. Ah! Here come the other members of the Rift Alliance. Come along. We really should go over the proceedings of tomorrow."

The next several hours were spent in discussing and fine tuning how the press conference and victory announcement were going to go. It was tedious and the Chancellor wanted every tiny detail ironed out smooth. At least in her mind, it was all worth it the following morning.

* * *

The following morning, the main senate chamber was filled with hundreds of senators and their aides. The Supreme Chancellor stood on a dais and shook hands with each member of the Rift Alliance's representation, offering many words of praise and thanks. It was quite the event. When all of the representatives and Nedeser Thul's crew had been announced, heroic music began to play and the tall, broad Jedi Master in flowing green and brown robes strode down the center of the room. Cheers erupted from all present and none of the limited press even bothered trying to ask a question over the noise.

Des was sweating and nervous. Though he had somewhat gotten used to it, he hated being the center of attention and even more hated standing on a raised platform above a crowd. Even so, he stood tall and look serene as the Jedi would expect. He was quite surprised to see Grand Master Satele and Jedi Master Kaedan standing behind the Supreme Chancellor. As he strode up the steps and stepped behind and slightly to the right of Supreme Chancellor Saresh, she began to speak in a very authoritative voice. "Ladies and Gentleman of the Senate, I present to you the Barsen'thor of the Jedi Order and Defender of the Rift Alliance: Nedeser Thul!"

More cheers followed and Nedeser took a step forward and bowed low. When they quieted down again, Saresh began again. "In my predecessor's place, I have invoked the protocol of special requital which ensures the Rift Alliance will be properly rewarded. Several billion credits for rebuilding, privileged access to to new hyperspace routes, support for your armies - this is only the beginning."

She turned, not to the representatives of the Rift Alliance but to the Barsen'thor. Dutifully, Nedeser bowed again and said loud enough for the microphone to pick up, "Thank you, Supreme Chancellor. We sought only to serve."

"Of course;" she said warmly. "The resources of the core worlds are stretched but we will try to grant any additional requests you have."

Suddenly, Qyzen Fess, the huge Trandoshan warrior spoke in his guttural, growling voice. Des smiled and said, "Hallow voice and his warriors deserve to be part of the Republic they helped defend."

The Esh-Kha said something in his peculiar voice as well and Saresh, only guessing at what he was saying, replied earnestly, "You and your warriors have more than proven yourselves."

Nedeser lifted a hand and said, "We cannot forget the Voss's hand in our defense either."

"The commandos will be honored;" assured Gaden Ko. "I hope for learning. New Jedi to come to Voss. Mystics can teach."

Satele stroked her smooth chin. "The Mystics could greatly expand our conception of the force."

Kaedan said in an undertone so as not to draw attention, "We must be exceptionally careful who we expose to Voss ideas."

* * *

For several more hours, different issues and various subjects were discussed and it was chosen that, since the Rift Alliance no longer needed direct oversight, Senator Alauni would become their official representation in the senate, something she preened about to the point of ridiculousness. When everything was finally finished and the senate dismissed, at least for that day, Master Satele and Master Kaedan pulled Nedeser and Nadia to the side. With a warm, almost matronly smile, Master Satele said, "All that was but a small part of the greater victory that you engineered and yet, you asked nothing for yourself."

Des blushed and ducked his head self-consciously. "I was only one piece of the victory, Masters."

"A very large piece, Barsen'thor;" said Kaedan matter-of-factually. Satele nodded and said, "Your devotion to the light and your diplomatic talents make your perfect to fill the empty seat on the council."

Dead silence followed as Nedeser's mouth dropped open. His head spun and he managed to croak. "What? Me?"

Master Kaedan chuckled and Master Satele's smile grew. "Of course. You are the natural choice. We would all benefit from what you have learned during your travels and in your interactions throughout the war. Now I understand that you still have work to do so rest assured, this seat on the council is not going to mean your are glued to Tython."

His head was still spinning and he wasn't sure what to do until a mental nudge from Nadia managed to get him out of his surprised stupor. Clearing his throat, Nedeser said gravely, "To me, that seat will always belong to Syo Bakarn."

Sighing sadly, Satele shook her head. "Syo can never sit on the council again but he should know that his seat is filled by someone utterly trustworthy. But this is just a small reward for the great service you have done for us. For _all_ of us."

She embraced him and Master Kaedan took his hand. In his mind, Nadia murmured, _Yay! Another reason to celebrate._

A smile tugged at Des's lip but he suppressed it.

 **Updated 12.07.2017**


	8. Epilogue

Nadia sat on a piece of broken stone beside one of the streets of Coronet City. The sun was shining and warmed her. During the fighting, there was so much smoke and ash that very little real sunlight got through. It had been three months since they had returned and it had been an eventful three months. Pockets of resisting Imperials who had been abandoned were still putting up fights. Criminals were running rampant and had to be pacified and the crowds of refugees were only growing. Constantly, requests were sent for ever more supplies and when they arrived, it was usually just enough.

About a month in, the wealth of Alderaan became the closest friend Corellia had. Relief workers and resources from Houses Organa, Alde, Panteer and others came pouring in, relieving much of the stress. Construction droids from Balmorra, modified combat units with programming and appendages changed, began showing up shortly after that. Even so, the work was too slow. It would be years before Corellia was able to start producing and thriving again.

Even so, a lot of progress had been made. Nadia thought back through the past couple days. She had discovered, much to her chagrin, that her beloved master had put a shield around them in case one of them had been the First Son and only remembered that he had because one of the Sith had tried to break Nadia's mind and yet, she hadn't felt a thing. She had been angry at that, shutting herself off from him for the rest of the day. When they were alone back on the ship, she had very diplomatically and respectfully explained why it was such a hair brained thing to do and why she was so upset. If the First Son had been her and Des had tried to block him, he would have put himself against the will of the Emperor himself.

After the discussion, Des had expressed his understand and things went back to normal. Well, as normal as things ever were in their lives.

With a sigh, Nadia stood and headed back towards the command center. She and Des weren't very active anymore since most of the fighting was done and there were plenty of volunteers and such to pass out supplies and comforts. For the most part, Des just advised and Nadia walked among the refugees, encouraging and comforting where she could. Des had told her that just seeing a friendly, beautiful face would do a planet of good.

When she entered the headquarters, Des smiled and said, "We'll be heading back to Coruscant the day after tomorrow. Apparently the Senate is ready for the celebration and we were invited."

"No surprise there;" said Nadia. "So, what are we doing these last few days?"

Nedeser shrugged. "Same as we have been. Apparently Sarkhai is sending supplies and the Voss are sending a few more healers to help with that outbreak of sickness. The Rift Alliance is really proving its worth - again."

Nadia nodded. It seemed that, for once and if only for a moment, the galaxy was making honest and obvious moves towards peace.

 **Updated 12.07.2017**


End file.
